What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hancock has the most expensive homes ($277k 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	Hancock
People
Population	845Lowest	2,518Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.9%Highest ME: +2.6%	+3%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	56.1±8.4Lowest 25% above ME	56.3±6.4Highest 26% above ME
	Hancock and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±6.9Highest ME: 18.1%	13.9%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Sumner and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.7%±5.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	30.2%±7Highest ME: 22.4%
	Hancock and Sumner 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%	34.9%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	2.5%±1.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	Hancock 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	$72,285±$5kHighest 3% below ME
	Hancock 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	$276,800±$51kHighest 7% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,171±$65 about the ME average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,167Highest 29% below ME	$1,869Lowest 38% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	42%±15.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Sumner and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%	8.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.1%Highest ME: 74.3%	81.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest same as ME	1987Highest 10 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%	5.1%±4.2Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#117 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 10	Hancock 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.