What stands out worked out from the figures below

Weld has the most expensive homes ($269k median).

Patten has the most affordable homes ($83k median).

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	Weld	Patten
People
Population	459Lowest	607Highest
Median age	64±6.7Highest 43% above ME	56.1±5.8Lowest 25% above ME
	Weld and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.9%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1%	16.5%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Weld and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	44.4%±12.4Highest ME: 22.4%	32.9%±5.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Weld and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.1%Highest ME: 36.2%	30.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.7%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8%	1.6%±2.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Weld and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,083±$11kHighest 17% below ME	$45,750±$19kLowest 39% below ME
	Weld and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,600±$17kHighest 9% below ME	$83,000±$51kLowest 72% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$389±$99 66% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,308Highest 57% 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 Weld are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	28.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.7%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	30 minHighest 21% above ME	25 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	15.6%±8.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	24.3%±24.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Patten and Weld 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.