Compare towns
Hope vs Pownal vs Appleton
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Hope has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).
Pownal has the most people working from home (23.9%).
Appleton has the most affordable homes ($236k 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 | Hope | Pownal | Appleton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,748Highest |
1,696 |
1,360Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +10.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average |
47.2±8.4 5% above ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
| Appleton and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 23.3%±5.4 ME: 18.1% |
24.2%±4.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Pownal and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 21.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
23.5%±2.6 ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 47.4% ME: 36.2% |
49%Highest ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.2%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
| Pownal and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $86,766±$6k 16% above ME |
$104,333±$14kHighest 40% above ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
| Pownal and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $373,400±$33k 26% above ME |
$436,800±$32kHighest 47% above ME |
$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
| Pownal and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,219±$182Highest 7% above ME |
$981±$636Lowest 14% below ME |
$1,104±$82 3% below ME |
| Hope and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,842 27% above ME |
$5,212Highest 72% above ME |
$3,588Lowest 18% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 37.8%±38.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
78.9%±22.5 ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
5.5% ME: 10.7% |
9.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 92.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
89.4% ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME |
1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1988 11 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minLowest 19% below ME |
30 min 22% above ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
| Work from home | 18.3%±10.2 ME: 15.9% |
23.9%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Pownal and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | Hope Public Schools | RSU 05 | Appleton Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | None in town |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.