What stands out worked out from the figures below

Caribou has the most people working from home (12.5%).

Thomaston has the most expensive homes ($272k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Caribou	Thomaston
People
Population	7,382Highest	2,769Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-1.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	51.3±1.7Lowest 15% above ME	58.1±6.6Highest 30% above ME
	Thomaston and Caribou are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	19.2%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Thomaston and Caribou are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4%	35.5%±8.6Highest ME: 22.4%
	Thomaston and Caribou are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%	30.9%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8%	1.6%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Caribou and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,709±$9kLowest 28% below ME	$56,435±$13kHighest 24% below ME
	Thomaston and Caribou are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$134,100±$31kLowest 55% below ME	$271,700±$10kHighest 8% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$757±$143Lowest 34% below ME	$1,262±$343Highest 11% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,680Lowest 45% below ME	$4,487Highest 48% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.3%±10.5Lowest ME: 48.4%	60.5%±23.5Highest ME: 48.4%
	Thomaston and Caribou are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.5%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.6%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.3%Lowest ME: 74.3%	73.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Highest 17 yrs older than ME	1951Lowest 26 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 minHighest 40% below ME	14 minLowest 45% below ME
Work from home	12.5%±3.8Highest ME: 15.9%	4.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#59 of 133 in ME	#99 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 39	RSU 13
High school in town	Caribou High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	14.2	—
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.