What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wade has the most affordable homes ($157k median).

Franklin has the highest household income ($65k).

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	Wade	Franklin
People
Population	244Lowest	1,628Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5.7% ME: +2.6%
Median age	53.6±18.5Highest 20% above ME	46±9.3Lowest about the ME average
	Wade and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±6.7Highest ME: 18.1%	16.3%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Wade and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34.8%±10.8Highest ME: 22.4%	25.6%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Wade and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.2%Highest ME: 36.2%	28.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.4%±4.6Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Franklin and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$41,818±$25kLowest 44% below ME	$65,455±$16kHighest 12% below ME
	Franklin and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$157,100±$109kLowest 47% below ME	$245,800±$59kHighest 17% below ME
	Franklin and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$888±$306 22% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,655Lowest 45% below ME	$2,231Highest 27% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	36.7%±27.8Highest ME: 48.4%
	Franklin and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.2%Lowest ME: 10.7%	15.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.3%Highest ME: 74.3%	76.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 26 yrs older than ME	1984Highest 7 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 37% above ME	29 minLowest 18% above ME
Work from home	10.1%±6.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	12.2%±5.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Franklin and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.