What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brooklin has the most affordable homes ($339k median).

Mount Desert has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.5%).

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	Brooklin	Mount Desert
People
Population	869Lowest	1,671Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.4%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+4.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.2±3.7Lowest 10% above ME	54.9±8.2Highest 23% above ME
	Mount Desert and Brooklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±4.2Highest ME: 18.1%	14.1%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Brooklin and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.7%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	29.1%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4%
	Mount Desert and Brooklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%	64.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.2%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8%	3.9%±4.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Brooklin 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	$68,750±$8kLowest 8% below ME	$92,813±$9kHighest 24% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$339,400±$90kLowest 14% above ME	$522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,236±$137Lowest 9% above ME	$1,341±$89Highest 18% above ME
	Mount Desert and Brooklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,792Lowest 41% below ME	$3,512Highest 16% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.5%±25Lowest ME: 48.4%	33.9%±31.5Highest ME: 48.4%
	Mount Desert and Brooklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Highest ME: 10.7%	7.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	84.8%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 4% above ME	18 minLowest 27% below ME
Work from home	16.5%±6.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	19.1%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Mount Desert and Brooklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Brooklin 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.