What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chebeague Island has the most people working from home (35.5%).

Southport has the highest household income ($89k).

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	Chebeague Island	Southport
People
Population	555Highest	550Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.6% ME: +2.6%
Median age	60.4±13.8Lowest 35% above ME	66.3±5.9Highest 48% above ME
	Southport and Chebeague Island are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±8.5Highest ME: 18.1%	10.4%±4.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Chebeague Island and Southport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	44.3%±13.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	51.8%±4Highest ME: 22.4%
	Southport and Chebeague Island are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%	58.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.7%±0.9Highest ME: 5.8%	0%±2.8Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Chebeague Island and Southport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,639±$12kLowest 9% below ME	$89,000±$17kHighest 19% above ME
	Southport and Chebeague Island are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$651,400±$92kHighest 120% above ME	$495,800±$163kLowest 67% above ME
	Chebeague Island and Southport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,063±$878Highest 81% above ME	$1,094±$109Lowest 4% below ME
	Chebeague Island and Southport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,406Highest 111% above ME	$1,854Lowest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	93.8%±11.6Highest ME: 48.4%	93.1%±69.8Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Chebeague Island and Southport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.4%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME	1954Highest 23 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 9% below ME	26 minHighest 4% above ME
Work from home	35.5%±22.8Highest ME: 15.9%	13.4%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Chebeague Island and Southport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Chebeague Island Public Schools	Southport 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.