What stands out worked out from the figures below

Strong has the most renters (15.4% rent).

Wheelock has the highest household income ($65k).

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	Strong	Wheelock
People
Population	1,249Highest	717Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.5±8.9Lowest 22% above U.S.	51±5.6Highest 31% above U.S.
	Wheelock and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%	18.8%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Strong and Wheelock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.4%±4.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wheelock and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	34.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wheelock and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$47,557±$10kLowest 41% below U.S.	$64,792±$20kHighest 20% below U.S.
	Wheelock and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$183,900±$29kLowest 45% below U.S.	$189,600±$37kHighest 43% below U.S.
	Wheelock and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$920±$276 35% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,950Lowest 37% below U.S.	$2,937Highest 6% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20.9%±52.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Strong and Wheelock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	97.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.	28 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	18.5%±9.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.1%±16Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wheelock and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 58/MSAD 58	—
High school in town	None in town	—
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.