What stands out worked out from the figures below

Standish has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.7%).

Townsend has the most expensive homes ($433k median).

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	Townsend
People
Population	10,662Highest	9,100Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.5±2.8Lowest 4% above U.S.	40.9±3.3Highest 5% above U.S.
	Townsend 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%	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend 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%	17.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Townsend and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,593±$15kLowest 30% above U.S.	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.
	Townsend 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	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$983±$453Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.
	Townsend and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Standish and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.
Work from home	13.6%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Standish and Townsend 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	#18 of 133 in ME	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 06/MSAD 06	North Middlesex
High school in town	Bonny Eagle High School	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Lowest	13.1Highest
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.