What stands out worked out from the figures below

Houlton has the shortest commute (10 min average).

Gardiner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.8%).

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	Houlton	Gardiner
People
Population	6,056Lowest	6,088Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.1%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+2.8%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	45.4±2.8Highest about the ME average	42±3.6Lowest 6% below ME
	Houlton and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±4Highest ME: 18.1%	16.6%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Houlton and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.4%±4.2Highest ME: 22.4%	19.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Houlton and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%	29.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.1%±1.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Gardiner and Houlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,058±$14kLowest 18% below ME	$71,782±$10kHighest 4% below ME
	Gardiner and Houlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$137,000±$31kLowest 54% below ME	$221,600±$19kHighest 25% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$785±$66Lowest 31% below ME	$1,113±$191Highest about the ME average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,707Lowest 44% below ME	$2,742Highest 10% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.7%±12.7Highest ME: 48.4%	44.6%±13.7Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Houlton and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.1%Highest ME: 10.7%	10.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	63.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	68.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Highest 20 yrs older than ME	1944Lowest 33 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	10 minLowest 58% below ME	30 minHighest 22% above ME
Work from home	6%±3.1Lowest ME: 15.9%	13.9%±4.1Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 133 in ME	#36 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 29/MSAD 29 · Houlton-Region 2	RSU 11/MSAD 11
High school in town	Houlton High School	Gardiner Area High School
Students per teacherat that high school	16.8Highest	11.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.