Compare towns
Auburn vs Appleton vs Poland
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Auburn has the most renters (40.9% rent).
Appleton has the most affordable homes ($236k median).
Poland has the most people working from home (21.9%).
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 | Auburn | Appleton | Poland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 24,602Highest |
1,360Lowest |
5,954 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +4.4%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2% ME: +2.6% |
+9.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 41.4±2.7Lowest 8% below ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
44.2±9.4 about the ME average |
| Appleton and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21.4%±2.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
21.4%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 19.8%±2 ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
17.8%±4.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 27.8% ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
23.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.6%±1.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.2%±2.8 ME: 5.8% |
| Auburn and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $66,647±$5k 11% below ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$85,557±$23kHighest 14% above ME |
| Poland and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $282,000±$12k 5% below ME |
$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
$283,600±$44kHighest 4% below ME |
| Poland and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,041±$74Lowest 9% below ME |
$1,104±$82 3% below ME |
$1,198±$128Highest 5% above ME |
| Poland and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,687Highest 21% above ME |
$3,588 18% above ME |
$2,774Lowest 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 53.4%±7.4Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
61.6%±30.7 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 13.8% ME: 10.7% |
9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
16.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
81.9% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1954Lowest 23 yrs older than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 22 minLowest 12% below ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
28 min 13% above ME |
| Work from home | 11.5%±2.7 ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
21.9%±10.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Poland and Auburn 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 | #110 of 133 in ME | — | #81 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Auburn Public Schools | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 16 |
| High school in town | Edward Little High School | None in town | Poland Regional H S |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 13.1Highest |
— | 12.2Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.