What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Saco has the most expensive homes ($413k 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	Saco
People
Population	1,360Lowest	20,819Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+10.3%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME	44.9±1.5Lowest about the ME average
	Appleton and Saco 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%	16.7%±2.5Highest ME: 18.1%
	Saco 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%	18.5%±2.1Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Appleton and Saco 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%	43.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.2%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Saco 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	$92,241±$11kHighest 23% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME	$413,100±$17kHighest 39% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME	$1,249±$385Highest 10% above ME
	Saco 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	$4,807Highest 58% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	50.3%±14Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Saco 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%	6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	72.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 23% above ME	24 minLowest 3% below ME
Work from home	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	19%±3.6Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#38 of 133 in ME
School district	Appleton Public Schools	Saco 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.