What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ashland has the most affordable homes ($227k median).

New Gloucester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.4%).

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	Ashland	New Gloucester
People
Population	2,183Lowest	5,766Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.3±11.2Highest 9% above U.S.	40.1±5.5Lowest 3% above U.S.
	Ashland and New Gloucester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±6.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	24.2%±5.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	New Gloucester and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.4%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.3%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	New Gloucester and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,607±$9kLowest 32% below U.S.	$108,797±$12kHighest 35% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,000±$29kLowest 32% below U.S.	$357,100±$29kHighest 7% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$155Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,150±$249Highest 19% below U.S.
	New Gloucester and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,961Highest 59% above U.S.	$3,417Lowest 10% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±14.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	24.7%±12Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ashland and New Gloucester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1991Highest 11 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	9.9%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.2%±6.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	New Gloucester and Ashland 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	—	#65 of 133 in ME
School district	Ashland School District	RSU 15/MSAD 15
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.