What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whiting has the most affordable homes ($214k median).

Beals has the most people working from home (17.6%).

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	Whiting	Beals
People
Population	506Highest	498Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-12.8% ME: +2.6%
Median age	50±5Highest 12% above ME	48±15.6Lowest 7% above ME
	Whiting and Beals are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1%	16.1%±6.5Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Whiting and Beals are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.5%±6.1Lowest ME: 22.4%	30.1%±5.1Highest ME: 22.4%
	Beals and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%	37.6%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.8%±5.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Beals and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,263±$2kLowest 26% below ME	$64,063±$14kHighest 14% below ME
	Beals and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$214,200±$52kLowest 28% below ME	$256,700±$45kHighest 13% below ME
	Beals and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$600±$333Lowest 47% below ME	$907±$378Highest 20% below ME
	Beals and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,728Lowest 43% below ME	$2,580Highest 15% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	7.4%±71.2Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Whiting and Beals are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	10.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	83.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 4 yrs newer than ME	1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 10% below ME	21 minLowest 17% below ME
Work from home	5.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	17.6%±10.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Beals and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Whiting Public Schools	Beals Public Schools
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.