What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wellington has the most homeowners (97.8%).

Patten has the most kids (11.3% under 18).

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	Wellington	Patten
People
Population	161Lowest	1,154Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-13.4% ME: +2.6%
Median age	63.6±8.6Highest 42% above ME	57.8±3.5Lowest 29% above ME
	Wellington and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	8.1%±16.1Lowest ME: 18.1%	11.3%±2.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Patten and Wellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	39.8%±11.7Highest ME: 22.4%	38.5%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Wellington and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	25.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.2%±7.3Highest ME: 5.8%	1.1%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Wellington and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$44,519±$4kLowest 40% below ME	$51,484±$6kHighest 31% below ME
	Patten and Wellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$133,700±$30kHighest 55% below ME	$127,600±$49kLowest 57% below ME
	Wellington 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	$933Lowest 69% below ME	$1,199Highest 61% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	56%±64.1 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	17.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%	23.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME	1966Lowest 11 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 54% above ME	28 minLowest 13% above ME
Work from home	28%±10.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	28.7%±19.4Highest ME: 15.9%
	Patten and Wellington 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.