What stands out worked out from the figures below

Carmel has the most affordable homes ($257k median).

Mount Desert has the most people working from home (19.1%).

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	Mount Desert
People
Population	2,941Highest	1,671Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+4.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.4±4.5Lowest 4% above ME	54.9±8.2Highest 23% above ME
	Mount Desert and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1%	14.1%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Carmel and Mount Desert 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%	29.1%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%	64.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.9%±4.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	Mount Desert 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±$22kLowest 10% above ME	$92,813±$9kHighest 24% above ME
	Mount Desert and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$256,800±$37kLowest 13% below ME	$522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,276±$187Lowest 12% above ME	$1,341±$89Highest 18% above ME
	Mount Desert and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,662Lowest 12% below ME	$3,512Highest 16% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±38.1Highest ME: 48.4%	33.9%±31.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Carmel and Mount Desert 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%	7.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	84.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest about the ME average	18 minLowest 27% below ME
Work from home	6.5%±4.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	19.1%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Mount Desert 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	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.