Compare towns
Hudson vs Strong vs Alton
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Hudson has the most affordable homes ($157k median).
Strong has the most people working from home (18.5%).
Alton has the shortest commute (25 min average).
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 | Hudson | Strong | Alton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,305Highest |
1,249 |
819Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-7.5% ME: +2.6% |
-6.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 47.5±6.1Lowest 6% above ME |
47.5±8.9Lowest 6% above ME |
49.1±5.9Highest 10% above ME |
| Alton and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.2%±4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19.5%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.1%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
| Strong and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.9%±2.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
21.7%±2.4 ME: 22.4% |
| Strong and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 19.1% ME: 36.2% |
26.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
16.2%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.1%±3.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.1%±1.6 ME: 5.8% |
2%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Hudson and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $67,933±$12kHighest 9% below ME |
$47,557±$10kLowest 36% below ME |
$62,955±$9k 16% below ME |
| Hudson and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $157,300±$9kLowest 47% below ME |
$183,900±$29kHighest 38% below ME |
$179,500±$25k 39% below ME |
| Strong and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,086±$307Highest 5% below ME |
$920±$276 19% below ME |
$866±$48Lowest 24% below ME |
| Hudson and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,543 49% below ME |
$1,950Highest 36% below ME |
$1,476Lowest 51% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 10.3%±51.4Lowest ME: 48.4% |
20.9%±52.4 ME: 48.4% |
76.3%±88.9Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Alton and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
13.9% ME: 10.7% |
24.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 92.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
84.6% ME: 74.3% |
83.5%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1987 10 yrs newer than ME |
1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 min 24% above ME |
31 minHighest 26% above ME |
25 minLowest about the ME average |
| Work from home | 8.6%±3.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
18.5%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
15.3%±7.3 ME: 15.9% |
| Strong and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | — | RSU 58/MSAD 58 | RSU 34 |
| High school in town | — | None in town | None in town |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.