What stands out worked out from the figures below

Standish has the most affordable homes ($336k median).

Stoneham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.4%).

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	Standish	Stoneham
People
Population	10,662Lowest	23,355Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.5±2.8Lowest 4% above U.S.	42.2±2.2Highest 8% above U.S.
	Stoneham and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.8%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stoneham and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.4%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,593±$15kLowest 30% above U.S.	$113,964±$10kHighest 41% above U.S.
	Stoneham and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,000±$18kLowest about the U.S. average	$671,900±$26kHighest 102% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$983±$453Lowest 30% below U.S.	$2,035±$142Highest 44% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$6,523Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.9%±8.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Standish and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	13.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 133 in ME	#117 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 06/MSAD 06	Stoneham
High school in town	Bonny Eagle High School	Stoneham High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Highest	10.7Lowest
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.