Compare towns
Chesterville vs Appleton vs Farmington
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Chesterville has the most kids (31.3% under 18).
Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).
Farmington has the most people working from home (20%).
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 | Chesterville | Appleton | Farmington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,397 |
1,360Lowest |
8,157Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.8% ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-2.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 37.8±4Lowest 16% below ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
38.2±3.3 15% below ME |
| Kids under 18 | 31.3%±6.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7 ME: 18.1% |
10.6%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 15%±3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
20.7%±3.8 ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 20.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
34.1% ME: 36.2% |
38.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.3%±2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
20.6%±3.7Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $61,635±$10kHighest 18% below ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$54,276±$7k 27% below ME |
| Chesterville and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $214,000±$40k 28% below ME |
$235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME |
$166,600±$18kLowest 44% below ME |
| Appleton and Chesterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,088±$73 4% below ME |
$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME |
$902±$106Lowest 21% below ME |
| Appleton and Chesterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,194 28% below ME |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$1,958Lowest 36% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 21.8%±30.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
44.2%±12.1 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12% ME: 10.7% |
9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
15.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 86.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.6% ME: 74.3% |
55.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1978 1 yr newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minLowest about the ME average |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
27 min 9% above ME |
| Work from home | 7.1%±3.7Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
20%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Farmington and Appleton 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 | — | — | #64 of 133 in ME |
| School district | — | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 09 |
| High school in town | — | None in town | Mt Blue High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 14.2 |
| 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.