What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Jefferson has the most expensive homes ($312k 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	Jefferson
People
Population	845Lowest	2,647Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.9%Highest ME: +2.6%	+5.1%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME	38.1±4.9Lowest 15% below ME
Kids under 18	17.2%±6.9Lowest ME: 18.1%	28%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Jefferson 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%	18.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	27.6%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.6%±2.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Jefferson 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	$85,078±$17kHighest 14% above ME
	Jefferson 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	$311,600±$35kHighest 5% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,120±$130 about the ME average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,167Lowest 29% below ME	$2,587Highest 15% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	29.8%±25.1Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Sumner and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	3.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.1%Highest ME: 74.3%	83.8%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	30 minLowest 23% above ME
Work from home	18.5%±8Highest ME: 15.9%	8.9%±3.6Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Sumner and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#45 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 10	Jefferson Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.