What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arrowsic has the most expensive homes ($584k median).

Islesboro has the shortest commute (8 min average).

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	Arrowsic	Islesboro
People
Population	597Lowest	636Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3% ME: +2.6%
Median age	50.3±8.7Lowest 12% above ME	57±8.4Highest 27% above ME
	Islesboro and Arrowsic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.4%±7.8Highest ME: 18.1%	11.2%±6.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Arrowsic and Islesboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.8%±11.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	40.6%±10.1Highest ME: 22.4%
	Islesboro and Arrowsic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	64.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	47.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2.7Highest ME: 5.8%	0.9%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Arrowsic and Islesboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$99,107±$27kHighest 33% above ME	$88,438±$44kLowest 18% above ME
	Arrowsic and Islesboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$584,200±$150kHighest 97% above ME	$288,800±$140kLowest about the ME average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,600±$412Highest 40% above ME	$938±$252Lowest 18% below ME
	Arrowsic and Islesboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,521Lowest 16% above ME	$4,300Highest 42% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	30.8%±85.4Highest ME: 48.4%
	Islesboro and Arrowsic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.1%Highest ME: 10.7%	15.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.3%Highest ME: 74.3%	91.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME	1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 20% above ME	8 minLowest 69% below ME
Work from home	20.6%±9Highest ME: 15.9%	20.3%±8.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Arrowsic and Islesboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.