What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stoneham has the most expensive homes ($226k median).

Patten has the most kids (16.5% under 18).

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	Stoneham	Patten
People
Population	271Lowest	607Highest
Median age	60.6±7.1Highest 35% above ME	56.1±5.8Lowest 25% above ME
	Stoneham and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	5.9%±7.9Lowest ME: 18.1%	16.5%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1%
	Patten and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	41%±17.8Highest ME: 22.4%	32.9%±5.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Stoneham and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.8%Highest ME: 36.2%	30.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.8%±13.9Highest ME: 5.8%	1.6%±2.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Stoneham and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,750±$27kHighest 15% below ME	$45,750±$19kLowest 39% below ME
	Stoneham and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$226,200±$32kHighest 24% below ME	$83,000±$51kLowest 72% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$383Highest about the ME average	$389±$99Lowest 66% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,426Highest 53% below ME	$857Lowest 72% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	56%±58.6Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Stoneham and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%	28.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	72.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME	1955Lowest 22 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 18% above ME	25 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	40.7%±15.2Highest ME: 15.9%	24.3%±24.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Stoneham and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
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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.