What stands out worked out from the figures below

Steep Falls has the most kids (22.9% under 18).

Cornish has the most people working from home (7.4%).

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	Steep Falls	Cornish
People
Population	1,861Highest	1,024Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.4% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	44.1±6.5Highest about the ME average	39.2±13.3Lowest 13% below ME
	Steep Falls and Cornish 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%	10.5%±5.5Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Steep Falls and Cornish 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%	15.2%±6.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Cornish and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%	16.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±3.8Highest ME: 5.8%	2.1%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Steep Falls and Cornish 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	$68,686±$2kLowest 8% below ME
	Steep Falls and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$243,400±$31k 18% below ME	—
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,516±$1kHighest 33% above ME	$1,135±$141Lowest about the ME average
	Steep Falls and Cornish 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	$1,925Lowest 37% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.4%±36.1Highest ME: 48.4%	31%±22.9Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Steep Falls and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Lowest ME: 10.7%	8.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	79.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 7 yrs older than ME	1958Lowest 19 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 25% above ME	32 minHighest 29% above ME
Work from home	4%±4.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	7.4%±3.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Cornish 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.