Compare towns
Blue Hill vs Wayne vs Mount Desert
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Blue Hill has the most kids (18.3% under 18).
Wayne has the most people working from home (26.2%).
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.
| Measure | Blue Hill | Wayne | Mount Desert |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 2,813Highest |
1,101Lowest |
1,671 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3.9% ME: +2.6% |
-5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+4.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 48.6±8.2Lowest 8% above ME |
55.6±5.3Highest 24% above ME |
54.9±8.2 23% above ME |
| Wayne and Mount Desert 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% |
13.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
14.1%±4.7 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% |
29.2%±3.8 ME: 22.4% |
29.1%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Blue Hill and Wayne 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% |
48.8% ME: 36.2% |
64.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.7%±4.6 ME: 5.8% |
6.5%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.9%±4.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Wayne and Blue Hill 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 |
$93,194±$26kHighest 25% above ME |
$92,813±$9k 24% above ME |
| Wayne and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $399,500±$82k 35% above ME |
$362,800±$29kLowest 22% 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±$638 9% below ME |
$983±$554Lowest 14% 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 |
$3,289 8% above ME |
$3,512Highest 16% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 93.6%±27.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
25%±52.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
33.9%±31.5 ME: 48.4% |
| Below poverty line | 4.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
7.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
7.4% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 79.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
84.8% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1992Highest 15 yrs newer than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 21 min 15% below ME |
30 minHighest 24% above ME |
18 minLowest 27% below ME |
| Work from home | 21%±9.5 ME: 15.9% |
26.2%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
19.1%±9.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Wayne and Blue Hill 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 | RSU 38 | Mount Desert Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | None in town |
| 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.