Compare towns
Greene vs Appleton vs Chelsea
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Greene has the shortest commute (26 min average).
Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).
Chelsea has the most affordable homes ($182k 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 | Greene | Appleton | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 4,417Highest |
1,360Lowest |
2,823 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +0.6%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2.1% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 39.7±4.9Lowest 11% below ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
42.2±3.6 6% below ME |
| Appleton and Chelsea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 23.3%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
23.3%±5.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 15.1%±4.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.6%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Chelsea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 22.2% ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
20.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.6%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
3.2%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Greene and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $98,093±$16kHighest 31% above ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$85,471±$10k 14% above ME |
| Greene and Chelsea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $270,000±$23kHighest 9% below ME |
$235,600±$33k 21% below ME |
$182,300±$37kLowest 39% below ME |
| Greene and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,194±$224 5% above ME |
$1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME |
$1,373±$90Highest 21% above ME |
| Chelsea and Greene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,965 about the ME average |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$2,313Lowest 24% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 54.8%±20.2 ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
15%±19.9Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Greene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 13.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
8.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 87.8% ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
88.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1979Lowest 2 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1982 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 minLowest 4% above ME |
30 min 23% above ME |
36 minHighest 48% above ME |
| Work from home | 11.6%±5.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
6%±3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Greene 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 | #69 of 133 in ME | — | #93 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 52/MSAD 52 | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 12 |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | None in town |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 5 photos → | 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.