Compare towns
Gardiner vs Hermon vs Mapleton
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Gardiner has the most people working from home (13.9%).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
Mapleton has the most affordable homes ($192k 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.
| Measure | Gardiner | Hermon | Mapleton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 6,088 |
6,727Highest |
1,884Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2.8% ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-3.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 42±3.6Highest 6% below ME |
41.1±4.7Lowest 8% below ME |
41.8±6 7% below ME |
| Gardiner and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 16.6%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
21.6%±4.6 ME: 18.1% |
22.2%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Mapleton and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.7%±3.5 ME: 22.4% |
20.4%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Hermon and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 29.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
37.6%Highest ME: 36.2% |
34.3% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1 ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Mapleton and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $71,782±$10kLowest 4% below ME |
$96,629±$22kHighest 29% above ME |
$91,731±$25k 23% above ME |
| Hermon and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $221,600±$19k 25% below ME |
$333,600±$32kHighest 12% above ME |
$191,800±$23kLowest 35% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,113±$191 about the ME average |
$1,406±$202Highest 23% above ME |
$610±$277Lowest 46% below ME |
| Hermon and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,742 10% below ME |
$2,761Highest 9% below ME |
$1,789Lowest 41% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 44.6%±13.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1 ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±10.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Gardiner and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 10.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.8%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
8.9% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 68.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
75.2% ME: 74.3% |
79.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1944Lowest 33 yrs older than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
1977 same as ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 22% above ME |
23 minLowest 8% below ME |
28 min 13% above ME |
| Work from home | 13.9%±4.1Highest ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
10.8%±3.8 ME: 15.9% |
| Gardiner and Mapleton 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 | #36 of 133 in ME | #54 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 11/MSAD 11 | Hermon Public Schools | RSU 79/MSAD 01 |
| High school in town | Gardiner Area High School | Hermon High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.8Lowest |
14.6Highest |
— |
| 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.