What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sumner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.9%).

Buckfield has the most expensive homes ($228k median).

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	Buckfield
People
Population	845Lowest	2,403Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.9%Highest ME: +2.6%	-1.3%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME	37.7±10.1Lowest 16% below ME
	Sumner and Buckfield 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%	25.7%±7.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Buckfield 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%	13.7%±2.7Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	26.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	1.8%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Buckfield 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±$19kLowest 23% below ME	$77,917±$41kHighest 4% above ME
	Buckfield and Sumner 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	$227,700±$18kHighest 23% below ME
	Buckfield and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$521±$33 54% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,167Lowest 29% below ME	$2,860Highest 6% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±55Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Sumner and Buckfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8% ME: 10.7%	5.8% ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%	94.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest same as ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	42 minHighest 72% above ME	31 minLowest 25% above ME
Work from home	18.5%±8Highest ME: 15.9%	15.6%±12.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Sumner and Buckfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 10	RSU 10
High school in town	None in town	Buckfield Jr-Sr High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.2
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.