What stands out worked out from the figures below

Appleton has the most affordable homes ($236k median).

North Berwick has the highest household income ($102k).

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	North Berwick
People
Population	1,360Lowest	5,129Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+8.8%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME	41.6±4.7Lowest 7% below ME
	Appleton and North Berwick 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%	21.2%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1%
	North Berwick 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%	20.9%±5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Appleton and North Berwick 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%	29%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.7%±2.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	North Berwick 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	$101,875±$16kHighest 36% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME	$428,500±$33kHighest 44% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME	$1,105±$116Highest about the ME average
	North Berwick and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,588Lowest 18% above ME	$3,735Highest 23% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	66.2%±28.7Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and North Berwick 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%	4.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	88.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME	1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 23% above ME	31 minHighest 27% above ME
Work from home	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	15%±5.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	North Berwick 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	—	#82 of 133 in ME
School district	Appleton Public Schools	RSU 60/MSAD 60
High school in town	None in town	Noble High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.0
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.