Compare towns
Crystal vs Durham
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Crystal has the most affordable homes ($129k median).
Durham has the most people working from home (20.9%).
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 | Crystal | Durham |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 247Lowest |
4,262Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | +8.4% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 63.2±8.4Highest 41% above ME |
42.6±5.9Lowest 5% below ME |
| Kids under 18 | 16.2%±11.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19.7%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Durham and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Age 65+ | 49%±5.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
16.6%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 22.9%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
34.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 0%±6.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.9%±3.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Durham and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $48,125±$13kLowest 36% below ME |
$99,181±$5kHighest 33% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $129,200±$60kLowest 56% below ME |
$322,200±$34kHighest 9% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,563±$922 37% above ME |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $943Lowest 69% below ME |
$3,781Highest 25% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 14.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
25%±40.9Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Durham and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 14.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
4.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 92.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
95.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME |
1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minLowest 10% above ME |
28 minHighest 13% above ME |
| Work from home | 0%±15.1Lowest ME: 15.9% |
20.9%±5.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #14 of 133 in ME |
| School district | — | RSU 05 |
| High school 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.