What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bangor has the most affordable homes ($220k median).

Douglas has grown the fastest since 2010 (+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	Bangor	Douglas
People
Population	31,938Highest	9,207Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41±1.3Lowest 5% above U.S.	44±2.6Highest 13% above U.S.
	Douglas and Bangor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.2%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Douglas and Bangor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.9%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bangor and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	41.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.4%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,942±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.	$152,267±$10kHighest 89% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$219,600±$10kLowest 34% below U.S.	$470,600±$29kHighest 41% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,055±$43Lowest 25% below U.S.	$1,503±$697Highest 6% above U.S.
	Douglas and Bangor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,076Lowest about the U.S. average	$6,338Highest 103% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.5%±6.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	33.9%±17.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bangor and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 37% below U.S.	34 minHighest 28% above U.S.
Work from home	10.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20.9%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#37 of 133 in ME	#177 of 282 in MA
School district	Bangor Public Schools · Bangor-Region 4	Douglas
High school in town	Bangor High School	Douglas High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.3Highest	7.2Lowest
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.