What stands out worked out from the figures below

Saco has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Brookline has the highest household income ($171k).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Saco	Brookline
People
Population	20,819Highest	5,736Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+13%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.9±1.5Highest 15% above U.S.	41.2±1.5Lowest 6% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.7%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	26.7%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	11.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	57.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.3%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brookline and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,241±$11kLowest 14% above U.S.	$171,046±$4kHighest 112% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$413,100±$17kLowest 24% above U.S.	$544,400±$38kHighest 64% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,249±$385Lowest 12% below U.S.	$2,500±$1kHighest 77% above U.S.
	Brookline and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,807Lowest 54% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.3%±14Highest U.S.: 51.1%	23.8%±43.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Saco and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	0.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	19%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brookline and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#38 of 133 in ME	#23 of 120 in NH
School district	Saco Public Schools	Brookline School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.