What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dexter has the most affordable homes ($138k median).

Southwest Harbor has the most expensive homes ($429k median).

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	Dexter	Southwest Harbor
People
Population	1,852Highest	1,553Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-0.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	51.2±7.8Highest 14% above ME	48.9±9.3Lowest 9% above ME
	Dexter and Southwest Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±6.6Highest ME: 18.1%	14.5%±5.1Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Dexter and Southwest Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±4Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.7%±2.7Highest ME: 22.4%
	Southwest Harbor and Dexter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	35.3%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8%	1.7%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Dexter and Southwest Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,654±$25kLowest 28% below ME	$59,205±$21kHighest 21% below ME
	Southwest Harbor and Dexter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$138,200±$50kLowest 53% below ME	$428,500±$35kHighest 44% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$827±$117Lowest 27% below ME	$959±$50Highest 16% below ME
	Southwest Harbor and Dexter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,962Lowest 35% below ME	$3,479Highest 15% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±23.7Highest ME: 48.4%	50.4%±18.4Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Dexter and Southwest Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.7%Highest ME: 10.7%	9.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.3%Lowest ME: 74.3%	55.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 11 yrs older than ME	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 12% below ME	16 minLowest 36% below ME
Work from home	5.7%±5.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±4.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Southwest Harbor and Dexter 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	#113 of 133 in ME	—
School district	—	Southwest Harbor Public Schools
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.