What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cranberry Isles has the most kids (19.4% under 18).

Mount Desert has the most people working from home (19.1%).

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	Cranberry Isles	Mount Desert
People
Population	196Lowest	1,671Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.5% ME: +2.6%
Median age	48±11.9Lowest 7% above ME	54.9±8.2Highest 23% above ME
	Mount Desert and Cranberry Isles are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±9.5Highest ME: 18.1%	14.1%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Cranberry Isles and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.9%±7.5Lowest ME: 22.4%	29.1%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4%
	Mount Desert and Cranberry Isles are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	51.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	64.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.6%±3.9Highest ME: 5.8%	3.9%±4.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Cranberry Isles and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,000±$37kLowest 13% below ME	$92,813±$9kHighest 24% above ME
	Mount Desert and Cranberry Isles are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$439,100±$51kLowest 48% above ME	$522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME
	Mount Desert and Cranberry Isles are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,000±$413Lowest 12% below ME	$1,341±$89Highest 18% above ME
	Mount Desert and Cranberry Isles are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,273Lowest 8% above ME	$3,512Highest 16% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	71.4%±79Highest ME: 48.4%	33.9%±31.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Cranberry Isles and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.6%Lowest ME: 10.7%	7.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81%Lowest ME: 74.3%	84.8%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME	1969Highest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minHighest 17% below ME	18 minLowest 27% below ME
Work from home	6.5%±6Lowest ME: 15.9%	19.1%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Mount Desert and Cranberry Isles are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Cranberry Isles Public Schools	Mount Desert Public Schools
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.