Compare towns
Castle Hill vs Patten vs Crystal
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Castle Hill has the shortest commute (19 min average).
Patten has the most people working from home (24.3%).
Crystal has the oldest population (median age 63.2).
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 | Castle Hill | Patten | Crystal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 281 |
607Highest |
247Lowest |
| Median age | 57.8±15.8 29% above ME |
56.1±5.8Lowest 25% above ME |
63.2±8.4Highest 41% above ME |
| Crystal and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.2%±5.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
16.5%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.2%±11.8 ME: 18.1% |
| Patten and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 44.8%±6.5 ME: 22.4% |
32.9%±5.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
49%±5.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Crystal and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 26.7% ME: 36.2% |
30.6%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.9%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±5.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.6%±2.7 ME: 5.8% |
0%±6.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Castle Hill and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $54,250±$14kHighest 27% below ME |
$45,750±$19kLowest 39% below ME |
$48,125±$13k 36% below ME |
| Castle Hill and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $145,300±$18kHighest 51% below ME |
$83,000±$51kLowest 72% below ME |
$129,200±$60k 56% below ME |
| Castle Hill and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $950±$574 17% below ME |
$389±$99Lowest 66% below ME |
$1,563±$922Highest 37% above ME |
| Crystal and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,449Highest 52% below ME |
$857Lowest 72% below ME |
$943 69% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 75%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
56%±58.6 ME: 48.4% |
14.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Castle Hill and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
28.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
14.7% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.3%Highest ME: 74.3% |
72.4%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
92.8% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME |
1955Lowest 22 yrs older than ME |
1974 3 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 minLowest 24% below ME |
25 min about the ME average |
27 minHighest 10% above ME |
| Work from home | 10.3%±9.8 ME: 15.9% |
24.3%±24.5Highest ME: 15.9% |
0%±15.1Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Patten and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| 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.