Compare towns
Appleton vs Madison vs Pittston
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 homeowners (82.6%).
Madison has the most people working from home (19.3%).
Pittston has the highest household income ($87k).
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 | Madison | Pittston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,360Lowest |
4,782Highest |
3,093 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.2% ME: +2.6% |
-2.7%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 49.2±7.4 10% above ME |
49.6±3.4Highest 11% above ME |
41.4±5.9Lowest 8% below ME |
| Madison and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 15.3%±2.7 ME: 18.1% |
14.9%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±7.4Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Pittston and Appleton 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% |
25.1%±5.8 ME: 22.4% |
18.5%±6.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Madison 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% |
21.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
26.7% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.1%±2.8 ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±4.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Pittston and Madison 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 |
$61,747±$11k 17% below ME |
$86,614±$18kHighest 16% above ME |
| Pittston and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $235,600±$33k 21% below ME |
$187,600±$40kLowest 37% below ME |
$238,700±$66kHighest 20% below ME |
| Pittston and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME |
$906±$247Lowest 20% below ME |
$1,080±$593 5% below ME |
| Appleton and Pittston 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 |
$1,983 35% below ME |
$1,909Lowest 37% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
30.9%±11.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
57.6%±34.6 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
15%Highest ME: 10.7% |
10.2% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
54.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
81% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1964Lowest 13 yrs older than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 23% above ME |
27 min 9% above ME |
26 minLowest 7% above ME |
| Work from home | 11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
19.3%±10.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
3.8%±3.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Madison 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 | — | — | #123 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 59/MSAD 59 | RSU 11/MSAD 11 |
| High school in town | None in town | Madison Jr/Sr High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 10.0 |
— |
| 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.