What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hanover has the most affordable homes ($335k median).

Mount Desert has the highest household income ($93k).

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	Hanover	Mount Desert
People
Population	276Lowest	1,671Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.5% ME: +2.6%
Median age	53.3±10.3Lowest 19% above ME	54.9±8.2Highest 23% above ME
	Mount Desert and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.9%±9.8Highest ME: 18.1%	14.1%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Hanover and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.7%±12.6Lowest ME: 22.4%	29.1%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4%
	Mount Desert and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	64.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±4Highest ME: 5.8%	3.9%±4.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Hanover and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,417±$52kLowest 26% below ME	$92,813±$9kHighest 24% above ME
	Mount Desert and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$334,500±$36kLowest 13% above ME	$522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,341±$89 18% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,492Lowest 18% below ME	$3,512Highest 16% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	33.9%±31.5Highest ME: 48.4%
	Mount Desert and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	7.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	84.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 9% below ME	18 minLowest 27% below ME
Work from home	25%±19.2Highest ME: 15.9%	19.1%±9.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Hanover and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Mount Desert Public Schools
High school 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.