Compare towns
Appleton vs Charlotte vs Cooper
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Appleton has the most renters (17.4% rent).
Charlotte has the most affordable homes ($141k median).
Cooper has the most people working from home (13.5%).
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.
| Measure | Appleton | Charlotte | Cooper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,360Highest |
377 |
157Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.2% ME: +2.6% |
— | — |
| Median age | 49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
48.6±3.1 8% above ME |
46.5±9.1Lowest 4% above ME |
| Appleton and Charlotte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
21.8%±10.4Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.6%±17 ME: 18.1% |
| Charlotte and Cooper are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
21.8%±7.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.9%±14 ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Cooper are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
28.8% ME: 36.2% |
22.2%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.2%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±9.8Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cooper and Charlotte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $53,618±$19k 28% below ME |
$67,813±$18kHighest 9% below ME |
$48,750±$15kLowest 35% below ME |
| Charlotte and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME |
$140,800±$30kLowest 53% below ME |
$212,500±$66k 28% below ME |
| Appleton and Cooper are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,104±$82 3% below ME |
— | — |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$2,000 34% below ME |
$1,929Lowest 36% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 85.4%±100 ME: 48.4% |
— | — |
| Below poverty line | 9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
22.8%Highest ME: 10.7% |
20.4% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
98.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
95% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1978 1 yr newer than ME |
1977Lowest same as ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 min 23% above ME |
24 minLowest about the ME average |
44 minHighest 78% above ME |
| Work from home | 11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
2%±2.6Lowest ME: 15.9% |
13.5%±11Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Cooper and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | Appleton Public Schools | — | — |
| High school in town | None in town | — | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.