What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sumner has the most people working from home (18.5%).

Athens has the shortest commute (29 min average).

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	Sumner	Athens
People
Population	845Highest	791Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.9%Highest ME: +2.6%	-6.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME	47.7±7.2Lowest 6% above ME
	Sumner and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±6.9Lowest ME: 18.1%	21.7%±5Highest ME: 18.1%
	Athens and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.7%±5.2Highest ME: 22.4%	24.4%±2.7Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Sumner and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	17.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.5%±2.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Athens and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,750±$19kHighest 23% below ME	$50,750±$14kLowest 32% below ME
	Sumner and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$150,000±$73kLowest 49% below ME	$153,100±$33kHighest 48% below ME
	Athens and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$538±$457 53% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,167Highest 29% below ME	$1,355Lowest 55% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100 ME: 48.4%	100%±75.5 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	5.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%	23.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%	94.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest same as ME	1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	42 minHighest 72% above ME	29 minLowest 18% above ME
Work from home	18.5%±8Highest ME: 15.9%	6.1%±4.1Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	RSU 10	Athens Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.