What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Searsmont has the most expensive homes ($284k 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	Searsmont
People
Population	845Lowest	1,646Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.9%Highest ME: +2.6%	+0.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME	44.5±9.8Lowest about the ME average
	Sumner and Searsmont 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%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Sumner and Searsmont 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%	21%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	31.6%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	10%±6.6Highest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,750±$19kLowest 23% below ME	$87,000±$20kHighest 16% above ME
	Searsmont 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	$284,000±$31kHighest 4% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$940±$311 17% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,167Lowest 29% below ME	$2,788Highest 8% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	41.4%±41.3Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Sumner and Searsmont 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%	6.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.1%Highest ME: 74.3%	90.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest same as ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	42 minHighest 72% above ME	25 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	18.5%±8Highest ME: 15.9%	16.3%±10.1Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Sumner and Searsmont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 10	RSU 71
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.