Compare towns
Appleton vs Northfield
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 people working from home (11.1%).
Northfield has the highest household income ($68k).
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 | Northfield |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 1,360Highest |
263Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.2% ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME |
62.1±16.2Highest 39% above ME |
| Northfield 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% |
11.4%±7.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Appleton and Northfield 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% |
39.2%±9.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Northfield 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% |
40.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.5%±4.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Appleton and Northfield 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 |
$68,333±$52kHighest 9% below ME |
| Northfield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME |
$198,600±$64kLowest 33% below ME |
| Appleton and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,104±$82 3% below ME |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$1,773Lowest 42% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 85.4%±100 ME: 48.4% |
— |
| Below poverty line | 9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
20.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
88.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 23% above ME |
24 minLowest about the ME average |
| Work from home | 11.1%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9% |
3.2%±2.6Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| School district | Appleton Public Schools | — |
| High school 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.