What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wade has the shortest commute (34 min average).

Solon has the highest household income ($69k).

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	Solon
People
Population	244Lowest	963Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-7.1% ME: +2.6%
Median age	53.6±18.5Highest 20% above ME	45.9±5.4Lowest about the ME average
	Wade and Solon 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%	17.2%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Solon 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%	23.9%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Wade and Solon 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%	25%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.4%±4.6Lowest ME: 5.8%	1.3%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Solon 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	$69,205±$20kHighest 7% below ME
	Solon 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	$183,600±$12kHighest 38% below ME
	Solon and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$915±$100 20% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,655Lowest 45% below ME	$1,854Highest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	14.6%±48.8Highest ME: 48.4%
	Solon 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%	10.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.3%Lowest ME: 74.3%	88.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 26 yrs older than ME	1978Highest 1 yr newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 37% above ME	52 minHighest 113% above ME
Work from home	10.1%±6.8Highest ME: 15.9%	9.1%±4.7Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Wade and Solon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	RSU 74/MSAD 74
High school 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.