What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stacyville has the most people working from home (22.6%).

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	Stacyville
People
Population	1,360Highest	465Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.2% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME	49.6±4.6Highest 11% above ME
	Stacyville 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%	15.5%±8.8Highest ME: 18.1%
	Stacyville 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%	20.6%±9.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Appleton and Stacyville 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%	12.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8%	0.4%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Appleton and Stacyville 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	$54,583±$26kHighest 27% below ME
	Stacyville 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	$101,700±$25kLowest 66% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME	$880±$74Lowest 23% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,588Highest 18% above ME	$1,099Lowest 64% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	60%±54.6Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Stacyville 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%	11.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	88.4%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME	1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 23% above ME	25 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	22.6%±16.4Highest ME: 15.9%
	Stacyville 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	RSU 89
High school in town	None in town	Katahdin Middle/High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.7
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.