What stands out worked out from the figures below

Surry has the most expensive homes ($296k median).

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

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	Surry	Sumner
People
Population	1,836Highest	845Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.3%Highest ME: +2.6%	+5.9%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	52.4±5.6Lowest 17% above ME	56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME
	Sumner and Surry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.6%±3.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	17.2%±6.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Sumner and Surry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.9%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%	29.7%±5.2Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Surry and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.1%Highest ME: 36.2%	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1Highest ME: 5.8%	1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Surry and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,508±$12kHighest about the ME average	$57,750±$19kLowest 23% below ME
	Surry and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,300±$36kHighest about the ME average	$150,000±$73kLowest 49% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$969±$129 15% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,903Lowest 37% below ME	$2,167Highest 29% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65.8%±59.5Lowest ME: 48.4%	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Sumner and Surry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	91.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME	1977Lowest same as ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 26% above ME	42 minHighest 72% above ME
Work from home	11.4%±5Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.5%±8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Sumner and Surry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Surry Public Schools	RSU 10
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.