What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wayne has the most expensive homes ($363k median).

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

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	Wayne	Sumner
People
Population	1,101Highest	845Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+5.9%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	55.6±5.3Lowest 24% above ME	56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME
	Sumner and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1%	17.2%±6.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Sumner and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.2%±3.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	29.7%±5.2Highest ME: 22.4%
	Sumner and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.8%Highest ME: 36.2%	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8%	1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,194±$26kHighest 25% above ME	$57,750±$19kLowest 23% below ME
	Wayne and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,800±$29kHighest 22% above ME	$150,000±$73kLowest 49% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$983±$554 14% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,289Highest 8% above ME	$2,167Lowest 29% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	25%±52.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Sumner and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%	91.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME	1977Lowest same as ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 24% above ME	42 minHighest 72% above ME
Work from home	26.2%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9%	18.5%±8Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Wayne and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 38	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.