What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stoneham has the most people working from home (40.7%).

Winter Harbor has the highest household income ($86k).

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	Winter Harbor
People
Population	271Lowest	493Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-10.7% ME: +2.6%
Median age	60.6±7.1Lowest 35% above ME	64.6±5.5Highest 44% above ME
	Winter Harbor and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	5.9%±7.9Highest ME: 18.1%	5.7%±5.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Stoneham and Winter Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	41%±17.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	47.3%±18.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Winter Harbor and Stoneham 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%	31.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.8%±13.9Highest ME: 5.8%	7.3%±8.5Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Stoneham and Winter Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,750±$27kLowest 15% below ME	$86,250±$38kHighest 15% above ME
	Winter Harbor and Stoneham 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	$210,500±$43kLowest 29% below ME
	Stoneham and Winter Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$383Highest about the ME average	$818±$433Lowest 28% below ME
	Stoneham and Winter Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,426Highest 53% below ME	$1,422Lowest 53% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±100 ME: 48.4%	66.7%±37.2 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest ME: 10.7%	3.9%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	80.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME	1973Lowest 4 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%	5.2%±6.2Lowest ME: 15.9%
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.