What stands out worked out from the figures below

Blue Hill has the most kids (18.3% under 18).

Mount Desert has the most expensive homes ($522k median).

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	Blue Hill	Mount Desert
People
Population	2,813Highest	1,671Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.9%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+4.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	48.6±8.2Lowest 8% above ME	54.9±8.2Highest 23% above ME
	Mount Desert and Blue Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±7Highest ME: 18.1%	14.1%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Blue Hill and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.6%±10.2Highest ME: 22.4%	29.1%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Blue Hill and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%	64.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±4.6Highest ME: 5.8%	3.9%±4.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Blue Hill and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,377±$17kLowest 8% above ME	$92,813±$9kHighest 24% above ME
	Mount Desert and Blue Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$399,500±$82kLowest 35% above ME	$522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME
	Mount Desert and Blue Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,038±$638Lowest 9% below ME	$1,341±$89Highest 18% above ME
	Mount Desert and Blue Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,907Lowest 4% below ME	$3,512Highest 16% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	93.6%±27.2Highest ME: 48.4%	33.9%±31.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%	7.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%	84.8%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1992Highest 15 yrs newer than ME	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 15% below ME	18 minLowest 27% below ME
Work from home	21%±9.5Highest ME: 15.9%	19.1%±9.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Blue Hill and Mount Desert 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	#29 of 133 in ME	—
School district	Blue Hill Public Schools	Mount Desert Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.