Compare towns
Mars Hill vs Raymond vs Franklin
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Mars Hill has the most affordable homes ($164k median).
Raymond has the most people working from home (32.3%).
Franklin has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.7%).
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.
| Measure | Mars Hill | Raymond | Franklin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,398Lowest |
4,610Highest |
1,628 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -8.9%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+2.3% ME: +2.6% |
+5.7%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 43.4±3Lowest 3% below ME |
47.3±4.1Highest 6% above ME |
46±9.3 about the ME average |
| Raymond and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.9%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
19.1%±4.9 ME: 18.1% |
16.3%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Mars Hill and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 24.5%±5.8 ME: 22.4% |
22.2%±5.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
25.6%±3.5Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Franklin and Mars Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 26%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
49.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
28.5% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.8%±3.4Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.5%±2.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.2%±2.6 ME: 5.8% |
| Mars Hill and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $65,273±$9kLowest 13% below ME |
$88,194±$20kHighest 18% above ME |
$65,455±$16k 12% below ME |
| Raymond and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $163,600±$23kLowest 45% below ME |
$395,800±$42kHighest 33% above ME |
$245,800±$59k 17% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $488±$96Lowest 57% below ME |
$965±$397Highest 15% below ME |
$888±$306 22% below ME |
| Raymond and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,843Lowest 39% below ME |
$3,139Highest 3% above ME |
$2,231 27% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 30.6%±7.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
38.3%±62.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
36.7%±27.8 ME: 48.4% |
| Raymond and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9.6% ME: 10.7% |
5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
15.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 70.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
76.8% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1967Lowest 10 yrs older than ME |
1976 1 yr older than ME |
1984Highest 7 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 21 minLowest 14% below ME |
37 minHighest 50% above ME |
29 min 18% above ME |
| Work from home | 6.9%±6.6Lowest ME: 15.9% |
32.3%±11.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
12.2%±5.5 ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #112 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 42/MSAD 42 | RSU 14 | — |
| High school in town | Central Aroostook Jr-Sr H S | None in town | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 8.0 |
— | — |
| 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.