Compare towns
Carmel vs Poland
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Carmel has the shortest commute (25 min average).
Poland has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.9%).
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 | Carmel | Poland |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 2,941Lowest |
5,954Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2.6%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+9.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.4±4.5Highest 4% above ME |
44.2±9.4Lowest about the ME average |
| Carmel and Poland 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% |
21.4%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Poland 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% |
17.8%±4.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Poland 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% |
23.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.9%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.2%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Poland 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 |
$85,557±$23kHighest 14% above ME |
| Poland 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 |
$283,600±$44kHighest 4% below ME |
| Poland and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,276±$187Highest 12% above ME |
$1,198±$128Lowest 5% above ME |
| Carmel and Poland 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 |
$2,774Highest 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.4%±38.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
61.6%±30.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Poland and Carmel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 13.6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
16.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 87.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
81.9%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME |
1988Lowest 11 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minLowest about the ME average |
28 minHighest 13% above ME |
| Work from home | 6.5%±4.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
21.9%±10.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #77 of 133 in ME | #81 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 87/MSAD 23 | RSU 16 |
| High school in town | None in town | Poland Regional H S |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.2 |
| 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.