Compare towns
Moose River vs Patten vs Merrill
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Moose River has the shortest commute (15 min average).
Patten has the most people working from home (28.7%).
Merrill has the most kids (41.7% under 18).
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 | Moose River | Patten | Merrill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 248Lowest |
1,154Highest |
372 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -13.4% ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 32.9±8.2Lowest 27% below ME |
57.8±3.5Highest 29% above ME |
33.2±9.9 26% below ME |
| Kids under 18 | 32.3%±5.2 ME: 18.1% |
11.3%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
41.7%±11Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Merrill and Moose River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 8.5%±10.4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
38.5%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
14%±5.8 ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 14.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
25.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.3% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4%±6.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.1%±1.1 ME: 5.8% |
0.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Moose River and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $76,324±$9kHighest about the ME average |
$51,484±$6kLowest 31% below ME |
$65,536±$8k 12% below ME |
| Moose River and Merrill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $144,900±$31kHighest 51% below ME |
$127,600±$49kLowest 57% below ME |
$131,600±$21k 56% below ME |
| Moose River and Merrill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $389±$99 66% below ME |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $928Lowest 69% below ME |
$1,199 61% below ME |
$1,449Highest 52% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
56%±64.1 ME: 48.4% |
60%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Merrill and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 14.9% ME: 10.7% |
23.2%Highest ME: 10.7% |
5.6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 91.3%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.5%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
91.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1951Lowest 26 yrs older than ME |
1966 11 yrs older than ME |
1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 15 minLowest 39% below ME |
28 min 13% above ME |
29 minHighest 19% above ME |
| Work from home | 4.5%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
28.7%±19.4Highest ME: 15.9% |
13.2%±6.6 ME: 15.9% |
| Patten and Merrill 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 | 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.