What stands out worked out from the figures below

Shirley has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Cutler has the most kids (25.2% under 18).

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	Shirley	Cutler
People
Population	234Lowest	492Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.4% ME: +2.6%
Median age	42±8.2Highest 6% below ME	41.8±13.2Lowest 7% below ME
	Shirley and Cutler are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±9.2Lowest ME: 18.1%	25.2%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Cutler and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.5%±10.1Lowest ME: 22.4%	30.1%±6.2Highest ME: 22.4%
	Cutler and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%	36.6%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±5.1Highest ME: 5.8%	1.4%±2.5Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Shirley and Cutler are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,875±$22kLowest 17% below ME	$72,946±$37kHighest about the ME average
	Cutler and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$219,600±$36kHighest 26% below ME	$155,900±$39kLowest 47% below ME
	Shirley and Cutler are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,522Highest 17% below ME	$1,462Lowest 52% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	0%±100 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	17%Highest ME: 10.7%	11%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	99%Highest ME: 74.3%	98.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 7 yrs newer than ME	1967Lowest 10 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 17% below ME	36 minHighest 44% above ME
Work from home	5.3%±4.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	5.6%±6.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Cutler and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Cutler Public Schools
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.