What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Patten has the most people working from home (24.3%).

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	Patten
People
Population	244Lowest	607Highest
Median age	53.6±18.5Lowest 20% above ME	56.1±5.8Highest 25% above ME
	Patten and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±6.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	16.5%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1%
	Patten and Wade 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%	32.9%±5.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Wade and Patten 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%	30.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.4%±4.6Lowest ME: 5.8%	1.6%±2.7Highest ME: 5.8%
	Patten 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	$45,750±$19kHighest 39% below ME
	Patten 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±$109kHighest 47% below ME	$83,000±$51kLowest 72% below ME
	Wade and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$389±$99 66% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,655Highest 45% below ME	$857Lowest 72% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	56%±58.6Highest ME: 48.4%
	Patten 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%	28.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.3%Highest ME: 74.3%	72.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 26 yrs older than ME	1955Highest 22 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 37% above ME	25 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	10.1%±6.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	24.3%±24.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Patten and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.