What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hope has the most people working from home (18.3%).

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	Hope
People
Population	506Lowest	1,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+10.5% ME: +2.6%
Median age	50±5Highest 12% above ME	44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average
	Whiting and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.3%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Hope and Whiting 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%	21.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Whiting and Hope 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%	47.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.8Highest ME: 5.8%	2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Whiting and Hope 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	$86,766±$6kHighest 16% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$214,200±$52kLowest 28% below ME	$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$600±$333Lowest 47% below ME	$1,219±$182Highest 7% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,728Lowest 43% below ME	$3,842Highest 27% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	37.8%±38.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Hope and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3% ME: 10.7%	5.3% ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	92.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 10% below ME	20 minLowest 19% below ME
Work from home	5.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.3%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	Whiting Public Schools	Hope 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.