Compare towns
Appleton vs Hermon vs North Windham
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 affordable homes ($236k median).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
North Windham has the most people working from home (20.9%).
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 | Hermon | North Windham |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,360Lowest |
6,727Highest |
5,417 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+7.5% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
41.1±4.7Lowest 8% below ME |
42±3 6% below ME |
| Appleton and North Windham 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% |
21.6%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.6%±4.1 ME: 18.1% |
| Hermon and North Windham 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% |
20.4%±4.7 ME: 22.4% |
18.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
37.6%Highest ME: 36.2% |
37% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.4%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
| Hermon and North Windham 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 |
$96,629±$22kHighest 29% above ME |
$88,522±$8k 18% above ME |
| Hermon and North Windham 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 |
$333,600±$32k 12% above ME |
$342,800±$29kHighest 16% above ME |
| North Windham and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME |
$1,406±$202Highest 23% above ME |
$1,248±$604 10% above ME |
| Hermon and North Windham 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 |
$2,761Lowest 9% below ME |
$3,546 17% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
30.7%±14.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and North Windham 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% |
6.8% ME: 10.7% |
6.1%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
75.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
80.1% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1988 11 yrs newer than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 23% above ME |
23 minLowest 8% below ME |
26 min 7% above ME |
| Work from home | 11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
20.9%±6.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
| North Windham and Appleton 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 | — | #54 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Appleton Public Schools | Hermon Public Schools | — |
| High school in town | None in town | Hermon High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.6 |
— |
| 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.