What stands out worked out from the figures below

Howland has the most expensive homes ($152k median).

Baileyville has the most people working from home (6.7%).

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	Howland	Baileyville
People
Population	1,235Lowest	1,339Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-13.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-13.3%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	47.9±11.5Highest 7% above ME	47.5±12.6Lowest 6% above ME
	Howland and Baileyville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.8%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%	20.7%±4.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Howland and Baileyville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.2%±4.3Highest ME: 22.4%	19.9%±4.2Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Howland and Baileyville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	12.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%	14.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.6Highest ME: 5.8%	1.3%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Howland and Baileyville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,250±$25kLowest 29% below ME	$60,000±$19kHighest 20% below ME
	Baileyville and Howland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$152,100±$34kHighest 49% below ME	$112,100±$20kLowest 62% below ME
	Howland and Baileyville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$916±$246Highest 20% below ME	$873±$143Lowest 23% below ME
	Howland and Baileyville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,557Highest 49% below ME	$1,039Lowest 66% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29%±18.2Lowest ME: 48.4%	67%±35.9Highest ME: 48.4%
	Baileyville and Howland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	28%Highest ME: 10.7%	15.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%	83.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 9 yrs older than ME	1970Highest 7 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 28% above ME	12 minLowest 53% below ME
Work from home	0%±3.3Lowest ME: 15.9%	6.7%±6.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Baileyville and Howland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Baileyville Public Schools
High school in town	—	Woodland Jr-Sr High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.1
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.