What stands out worked out from the figures below

Islesboro has the shortest commute (8 min average).

Arrowsic has the most expensive homes ($584k 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	Islesboro	Arrowsic
People
Population	636Highest	597Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	57±8.4Highest 27% above ME	50.3±8.7Lowest 12% above ME
	Islesboro and Arrowsic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.2%±6.9Lowest ME: 18.1%	22.4%±7.8Highest ME: 18.1%
	Arrowsic and Islesboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	40.6%±10.1Highest ME: 22.4%	31.8%±11.2Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Islesboro and Arrowsic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%	64.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.9%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.2%±2.7Highest ME: 5.8%
	Arrowsic and Islesboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,438±$44kLowest 18% above ME	$99,107±$27kHighest 33% above ME
	Arrowsic and Islesboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,800±$140kLowest about the ME average	$584,200±$150kHighest 97% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$938±$252Lowest 18% below ME	$1,600±$412Highest 40% above ME
	Arrowsic and Islesboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,300Highest 42% above ME	$3,521Lowest 16% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.8%±85.4Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Islesboro and Arrowsic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%	16.1%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	95.3%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME	1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	8 minLowest 69% below ME	29 minHighest 20% above ME
Work from home	20.3%±8.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	20.6%±9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Arrowsic and Islesboro 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.