What stands out worked out from the figures below

St. Albans has the most affordable homes ($263k median).

South Berwick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.4%).

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	St. Albans	South Berwick
People
Population	6,954Lowest	7,670Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	38.7±2Lowest about the U.S. average	39±2.5Highest about the U.S. average
	South Berwick and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	26.7%±6Highest U.S.: 22%
	South Berwick and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	15.8%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	South Berwick and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	41.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.2%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	South Berwick and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,980±$7kLowest 28% below U.S.	$99,572±$13kHighest 23% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kLowest 21% below U.S.	$428,300±$26kHighest 29% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$78Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,726±$83Highest 22% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,436Lowest 42% above U.S.	$4,956Highest 59% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.8%±11.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	53.5%±24.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	South Berwick and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	78.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	12.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.6%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	South Berwick and St. Albans 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	#46 of 70 in VT	#58 of 133 in ME
School district	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57	RSU 35/MSAD 35
High school in town	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)	Marshwood High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	13.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.