Compare towns
Brooks vs Mars Hill vs Windsor
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Brooks has the most people working from home (14.5%).
Mars Hill has the most affordable homes ($164k median).
Windsor has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.2%).
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 | Brooks | Mars Hill | Windsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,208Lowest |
1,398 |
2,690Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.3% ME: +2.6% |
-8.9%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.9±6.6Highest about the ME average |
43.4±3Lowest 3% below ME |
43.5±8 about the ME average |
| Brooks and Windsor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.1%±4.2Lowest ME: 18.1% |
22.9%±5.7 ME: 18.1% |
23.2%±6.4Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Windsor and Mars Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 17%±3.1 ME: 22.4% |
24.5%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
14.3%±4.4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Mars Hill and Brooks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 27.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
26% ME: 36.2% |
21%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 6.8%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±3.4 ME: 5.8% |
2%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Brooks and Mars Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $59,130±$10kLowest 21% below ME |
$65,273±$9kHighest 13% below ME |
$63,178±$5k 15% below ME |
| Mars Hill and Windsor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $196,700±$33k 34% below ME |
$163,600±$23kLowest 45% below ME |
$228,800±$22kHighest 23% below ME |
| Windsor and Brooks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,116±$112 about the ME average |
$488±$96Lowest 57% below ME |
$1,265±$400Highest 11% above ME |
| Windsor and Brooks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,096 31% below ME |
$1,843Lowest 39% below ME |
$2,160Highest 29% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 18%±17.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
30.6%±7.1 ME: 48.4% |
46.2%±31.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Windsor and Mars Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 19.1%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9.6% ME: 10.7% |
7.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 74.6% ME: 74.3% |
70.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME |
1967Lowest 10 yrs older than ME |
1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 min about the ME average |
21 minLowest 14% below ME |
36 minHighest 45% above ME |
| Work from home | 14.5%±2.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±6.6 ME: 15.9% |
6.5%±3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Brooks and Mars 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 | — | — | #44 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 03/MSAD 03 | RSU 42/MSAD 42 | RSU 12 |
| High school in town | None in town | Central Aroostook Jr-Sr H S | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 8.0 |
— |
| 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.