What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cherryfield has the most affordable homes ($196k median).

Cushing has the highest household income ($84k).

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	Cherryfield	Cushing
People
Population	809Lowest	1,460Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-10.1%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-2.1%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	58.1±4.2Highest 30% above ME	48.8±7.7Lowest 9% above ME
	Cherryfield and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.6%±5.3Lowest ME: 18.1%	17.1%±4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Cushing and Cherryfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	32.4%±9.6Highest ME: 22.4%	20.5%±0.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	38.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.7%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.4%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8%
	Cushing and Cherryfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$37,115±$17kLowest 50% below ME	$83,500±$19kHighest 12% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$195,800±$53kLowest 34% below ME	$409,800±$44kHighest 38% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$428±$107Lowest 62% below ME	$1,553±$376Highest 36% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,950Lowest 36% below ME	$3,944Highest 30% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.5%±17.8Highest ME: 48.4%	33.7%±19.6Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Cherryfield and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	26.3%Highest ME: 10.7%	7.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	84.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest same as ME	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 22% above ME	23 minLowest 5% below ME
Work from home	18.2%±10.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.5%±6.3Highest ME: 15.9%
	Cushing and Cherryfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Cherryfield Public Schools	RSU 13
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.