What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boothbay has the shortest commute (13 min average).

Harpswell has the most people working from home (20.7%).

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	Boothbay	Harpswell
People
Population	3,102Lowest	5,046Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+6.1%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	56.8±3.9Lowest 27% above ME	62±1.5Highest 38% above ME
	Harpswell and Boothbay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.5%±3.8Highest ME: 18.1%	8.8%±2.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Boothbay and Harpswell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	35.4%±7.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	38.6%±4.5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Harpswell and Boothbay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	51.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%	52.9%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8%	1.9%±2.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Boothbay and Harpswell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,320±$17kLowest 19% below ME	$96,250±$15kHighest 29% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$342,100±$43kLowest 15% above ME	$609,700±$60kHighest 106% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,147±$121Lowest about the ME average	$1,348±$53Highest 18% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,202Lowest 27% below ME	$3,141Highest 3% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.4%±31Highest ME: 48.4%	24.9%±5.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Boothbay and Harpswell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.6%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	83.3%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1979Highest 2 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	13 minLowest 46% below ME	30 minHighest 20% above ME
Work from home	5.7%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	20.7%±6.2Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	—	RSU 75/MSAD 75
High school 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.