Compare towns
Brooks vs Warren vs Appleton
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%).
Warren has the highest household income ($75k).
Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).
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 | Warren | Appleton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,208Lowest |
4,932Highest |
1,360 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.3%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2.4% ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.9±6.6 about the ME average |
42.2±2.2Lowest 6% below ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
| Appleton and Brooks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.1%±4.2Highest ME: 18.1% |
13.9%±5.1Lowest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7 ME: 18.1% |
| Brooks and Appleton 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% |
12%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton 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% ME: 36.2% |
21.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 6.8%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
5%±1.9 ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Brooks and Warren are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $59,130±$10k 21% below ME |
$74,616±$21kHighest about the ME average |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
| Warren and Brooks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $196,700±$33kLowest 34% below ME |
$232,700±$32k 22% below ME |
$235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME |
| Appleton and Warren 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 |
$1,125±$456Highest about the ME average |
$1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME |
| Warren and Brooks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,096Lowest 31% below ME |
$2,832 7% below ME |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 18%±17.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
52.1%±29.8 ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Warren 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% |
6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 74.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
81.3% ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1986 9 yrs newer than ME |
1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 min about the ME average |
23 minLowest 8% below ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
| Work from home | 14.5%±2.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
11.6%±9.3 ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Brooks and Warren 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 | — | #120 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 03/MSAD 03 | RSU 40/MSAD 40 | Appleton 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.