What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Danforth has the most affordable homes ($85k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Island Falls	Danforth
People
Population	768Highest	452Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.4% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	50.7±10.6Lowest 13% above ME	51.9±5.3Highest 16% above ME
	Danforth and Island Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±7.1Highest ME: 18.1%	14.8%±6.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Island Falls and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.3%±2.1Highest ME: 22.4%	22.6%±5.8Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Island Falls and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	12.9%Highest ME: 36.2%	4.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8%	2.4%±2.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Island Falls and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,328±$8kHighest 25% below ME	$42,264±$11kLowest 43% below ME
	Island Falls and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$108,300±$25kHighest 63% below ME	$85,200±$20kLowest 71% below ME
	Island Falls and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$636±$124Highest 44% below ME	$629±$22Lowest 45% below ME
	Island Falls and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,720 43% below ME	—
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	17.9%±51.5Highest ME: 48.4%	11.5%±71.8Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Island Falls and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.7%Highest ME: 10.7%	12%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	79.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 17 yrs older than ME	1981Highest 4 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 16% below ME	27 minHighest 9% above ME
Work from home	6.7%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9%	3%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Island Falls and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.