Compare towns
Appleton vs Cornish vs Waldoboro
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 people working from home (11.1%).
Cornish has the youngest population (median age 39).
Waldoboro has the shortest commute (25 min average).
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 | Cornish | Waldoboro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,360Lowest |
1,803 |
5,253Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.2% ME: +2.6% |
+7.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+1.6%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 49.2±7.4 10% above ME |
39±8.5Lowest 13% below ME |
50.1±4.6Highest 12% above ME |
| Waldoboro and Appleton 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% |
18.2%±3.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.6%±4.7 ME: 18.1% |
| Cornish and Waldoboro 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% |
17.4%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.6%±5.1 ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Waldoboro 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% |
21%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
29.9% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.8%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
1.3%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Appleton and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$69,038±$4k 8% below ME |
$69,107±$8kHighest 8% below ME |
| Waldoboro and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
$274,200±$84k 8% below ME |
$274,900±$39kHighest 7% below ME |
| Waldoboro and Cornish 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 |
$1,196±$148Highest 5% above ME |
$348±$153Lowest 69% below ME |
| Cornish and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$2,309Lowest 24% below ME |
$2,861 6% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
48.8%±17.5 ME: 48.4% |
20%±15.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9.6% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.1% ME: 74.3% |
78.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1979 2 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 min 23% above ME |
31 minHighest 27% above ME |
25 minLowest 3% above ME |
| Work from home | 11.1%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9% |
8.5%±2.4 ME: 15.9% |
6.6%±4.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Appleton and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | — | #55 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Appleton Public Schools | — | RSU 40/MSAD 40 |
| High school in town | None in town | — | Medomak Valley High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 13.5 |
| 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.