What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whiting has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Dresden has the highest household income ($75k).

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	Dresden
People
Population	506Lowest	1,645Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.2% ME: +2.6%
Median age	50±5Lowest 12% above ME	55.1±7.9Highest 23% above ME
	Dresden and Whiting 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%	17%±3.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Whiting and Dresden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.5%±6.1Highest ME: 22.4%	24.8%±8Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Whiting and Dresden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.9%Highest ME: 36.2%	30.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8%	3%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%
	Dresden 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	$74,844±$22kHighest about the ME average
	Dresden 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	$240,100±$29kHighest 19% below ME
	Dresden 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	$1,194±$502Highest 5% above ME
	Dresden 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	$2,500Highest 18% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	13.2%±26Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Whiting and Dresden 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%	9.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	88.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME	1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 10% below ME	33 minHighest 35% above ME
Work from home	5.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	6.7%±2.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Dresden 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	RSU 02
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.