What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mount Desert has the most expensive homes ($522k median).

Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).

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	Mount Desert	Appleton
People
Population	1,671Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	54.9±8.2Highest 23% above ME	49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME
	Mount Desert and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Appleton and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.1%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Mount Desert and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	64.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±4.1Highest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Mount Desert and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,813±$9kHighest 24% above ME	$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME	$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,341±$89Highest 18% above ME	$1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,512Lowest 16% above ME	$3,588Highest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.9%±31.5Lowest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 27% below ME	30 minHighest 23% above ME
Work from home	19.1%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Mount Desert and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Mount Desert Public Schools	Appleton Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.