What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hallowell has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.9%).

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	Hallowell	Southwest Harbor
People
Population	2,592Highest	1,553Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.9%Highest ME: +2.6%	-0.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	50.3±7.9Highest 12% above ME	48.9±9.3Lowest 9% above ME
	Hallowell and Southwest Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.2%±5.6Lowest ME: 18.1%	14.5%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1%
	Southwest Harbor and Hallowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	33.2%±7.1Highest ME: 22.4%	26.7%±2.7Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Hallowell and Southwest Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.5%Highest ME: 36.2%	35.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±6.2Highest ME: 5.8%	1.7%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Hallowell 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	$68,398±$10kHighest 8% below ME	$59,205±$21kLowest 21% below ME
	Hallowell and Southwest Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$295,300±$45kLowest about the ME average	$428,500±$35kHighest 44% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$890±$175Lowest 22% below ME	$959±$50Highest 16% below ME
	Southwest Harbor and Hallowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,867Highest 27% above ME	$3,479Lowest 15% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.1%±17.9Lowest ME: 48.4%	50.4%±18.4Highest ME: 48.4%
	Southwest Harbor and Hallowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.3%Highest ME: 74.3%	55.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	14 minLowest 43% below ME	16 minHighest 36% below ME
Work from home	19.8%±8.2Highest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±4.7Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Hallowell and Southwest Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 02	Southwest Harbor Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.