What stands out worked out from the figures below

Carmel has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.6%).

Mars Hill has the most affordable homes ($164k 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	Carmel	Mars Hill
People
Population	2,941Highest	1,398Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Highest ME: +2.6%	-8.9%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.4±4.5Highest 4% above ME	43.4±3Lowest 3% below ME
	Carmel and Mars Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%	22.9%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Mars Hill and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.5%±5Lowest ME: 22.4%	24.5%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Mars Hill and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%	26%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.8%±3.4Highest ME: 5.8%
	Mars Hill and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,188±$22kHighest 10% above ME	$65,273±$9kLowest 13% below ME
	Carmel and Mars Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$256,800±$37kHighest 13% below ME	$163,600±$23kLowest 45% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,276±$187Highest 12% above ME	$488±$96Lowest 57% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,662Highest 12% below ME	$1,843Lowest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±38.1Highest ME: 48.4%	30.6%±7.1Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Carmel and Mars Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.6%Highest ME: 10.7%	9.6%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	70.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME	1967Lowest 10 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest about the ME average	21 minLowest 14% below ME
Work from home	6.5%±4.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	6.9%±6.6Highest ME: 15.9%
	Mars Hill and Carmel 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	#77 of 133 in ME	—
School district	RSU 87/MSAD 23	RSU 42/MSAD 42
High school in town	None in town	Central Aroostook Jr-Sr H S
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.0
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.