What stands out worked out from the figures below

Anson has the most affordable homes ($118k median).

Readfield has the most people working from home (24.3%).

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	Anson	Readfield
People
Population	2,331Lowest	2,651Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	0%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.7±6.2Lowest 4% above ME	48.1±7.6Highest 7% above ME
	Readfield and Anson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1%	18.7%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Anson and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.3%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4%	22.3%±4.5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Readfield and Anson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	11.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	48.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2.7Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.3%±2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Readfield and Anson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$52,474±$21kLowest 30% below ME	$86,504±$8kHighest 16% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$117,800±$14kLowest 60% below ME	$326,400±$20kHighest 10% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$928±$62Lowest 19% below ME	$1,125±$844Highest about the ME average
	Readfield and Anson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,572Lowest 48% below ME	$3,392Highest 12% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20.6%±23.9Lowest ME: 48.4%	31.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Readfield and Anson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.3%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 5 yrs older than ME	1979Highest 2 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 32% above ME	30 minLowest 20% above ME
Work from home	3%±2.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	24.3%±14.9Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#20 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 74/MSAD 74	RSU 38
High school in town	Carrabec High School	Maranacook Community High Sch
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	11.5Lowest
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.