Compare towns
Mapleton vs Millinocket vs Pittston vs Starks
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Mapleton has the most people working from home (10.8%).
Millinocket has the most affordable homes ($104k median).
Pittston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.8%).
Starks has the most homeowners (90%).
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 | Mapleton | Millinocket | Pittston | Starks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,884 |
4,115Highest |
3,093 |
556Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.2% ME: +2.6% |
-8.7%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-7.3% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 41.8±6 7% below ME |
54.2±6.2Highest 21% above ME |
41.4±5.9Lowest 8% below ME |
46.7±9.4 4% above ME |
| Millinocket and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 22.2%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.1%±5.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±7.4 ME: 18.1% |
16.4%±4.4 ME: 18.1% |
| Mapleton and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 18.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
36.2%±8.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.5%±6.1 ME: 22.4% |
20.3%±2.2 ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
18.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
26.7% ME: 36.2% |
21% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
4%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±4.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
0.9%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Pittston and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $91,731±$25kHighest 23% above ME |
$51,007±$9kLowest 32% below ME |
$86,614±$18k 16% above ME |
$63,500±$8k 15% below ME |
| Mapleton and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $191,800±$23k 35% below ME |
$103,800±$26kLowest 65% below ME |
$238,700±$66kHighest 20% below ME |
$148,500±$27k 50% below ME |
| Pittston and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $610±$277 46% below ME |
$451±$130Lowest 60% below ME |
$1,080±$593Highest 5% below ME |
$1,063±$301 7% below ME |
| Pittston and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,789 41% below ME |
$1,580 48% below ME |
$1,909Highest 37% below ME |
$1,348Lowest 56% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 16.7%±10.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
20.5%±11 ME: 48.4% |
57.6%±34.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
45.5%±90.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Pittston and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 8.9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
17.1% ME: 10.7% |
10.2% ME: 10.7% |
19.2%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 79.9%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
84.1% ME: 74.3% |
81% ME: 74.3% |
90%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1977 same as ME |
1956Lowest 21 yrs older than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 28 min 13% above ME |
24 minLowest about the ME average |
26 min 7% above ME |
33 minHighest 33% above ME |
| Work from home | 10.8%±3.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.6%±4.1 ME: 15.9% |
3.8%±3.8 ME: 15.9% |
3.3%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Mapleton and Millinocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #98 of 133 in ME | #123 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 79/MSAD 01 | Millinocket Public Schools | RSU 11/MSAD 11 | — |
| High school in town | None in town | Stearns Jr-Sr High School | None in town | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 11.6 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.