What stands out worked out from the figures below

Steep Falls has the most expensive homes ($243k median).

Castle Hill has the most people working from home (10.3%).

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	Steep Falls	Castle Hill
People
Population	1,861Highest	281Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.4% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	44.1±6.5Lowest about the ME average	57.8±15.8Highest 29% above ME
	Castle Hill and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.9%±9.7Highest ME: 18.1%	14.2%±5.8Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Steep Falls and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	9.7%±5.9Lowest ME: 22.4%	44.8%±6.5Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%	26.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±3.8Highest ME: 5.8%	2.1%±5.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Steep Falls and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,280±$33kHighest 7% above ME	$54,250±$14kLowest 27% below ME
	Steep Falls and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$243,400±$31kHighest 18% below ME	$145,300±$18kLowest 51% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,516±$1kHighest 33% above ME	$950±$574Lowest 17% below ME
	Steep Falls and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,273Highest 8% above ME	$1,449Lowest 52% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.4%±36.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	75%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Castle Hill and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	94.3%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 7 yrs older than ME	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 25% above ME	19 minLowest 24% below ME
Work from home	4%±4.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	10.3%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Castle Hill and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.