What stands out worked out from the figures below

Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).

Mount Desert has the most expensive homes ($522k median).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Appleton	Mount Desert
People
Population	1,360Lowest	1,671Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%	+4.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME	54.9±8.2Highest 23% above ME
	Mount Desert and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±2.7Highest ME: 18.1%	14.1%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Appleton and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.1%±9.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	29.1%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4%
	Mount Desert 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%Lowest ME: 36.2%	64.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.9%±4.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	Mount Desert 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	$92,813±$9kHighest 24% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME	$522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME	$1,341±$89Highest 18% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,588Highest 18% above ME	$3,512Lowest 16% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	33.9%±31.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Mount Desert 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%	7.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	84.8%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 23% above ME	18 minLowest 27% below ME
Work from home	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	19.1%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Mount Desert 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	Mount Desert Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.