Compare towns
Appleton vs Milbridge 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 affordable homes ($236k median).
Milbridge has the most people working from home (18.9%).
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 | Milbridge | Pittston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,360 |
1,222Lowest |
3,093Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.2% ME: +2.6% |
+1.6%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 49.2±7.4 10% above ME |
50.3±6.2Highest 12% above ME |
41.4±5.9Lowest 8% below ME |
| Milbridge 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% |
22.5%±4.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±7.4 ME: 18.1% |
| Milbridge and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 26.1%±9.3 ME: 22.4% |
30.2%±5.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.5%±6.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Milbridge and Appleton 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% |
24.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
26.7% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.7%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
1.2%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±4.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Pittston and Appleton 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 |
$60,536±$16k 19% below ME |
$86,614±$18kHighest 16% above ME |
| Pittston and Milbridge 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 |
$240,400±$31kHighest 19% below ME |
$238,700±$66k 20% below ME |
| Milbridge and Pittston 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 |
$619±$186Lowest 46% 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 |
$2,022 33% below ME |
$1,909Lowest 37% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
45.8%±22.6Lowest 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% |
18.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
10.2% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.6% ME: 74.3% |
85.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
81%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 23% above ME |
18 minLowest 26% below ME |
26 min 7% above ME |
| Work from home | 11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
18.9%±6.1Highest ME: 15.9% |
3.8%±3.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Milbridge 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 37/MSAD 37 | RSU 11/MSAD 11 |
| High school in town | None in town | None 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.

