Compare towns
Mount Desert vs Brunswick vs Cranberry Isles
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Mount Desert has the highest household income ($93k).
Brunswick has the youngest population (median age 40).
Cranberry Isles has the most kids (19.4% 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 | Mount Desert | Brunswick | Cranberry Isles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,671 |
22,336Highest |
196Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +4.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 54.9±8.2Highest 23% above ME |
40±2.8Lowest 11% below ME |
48±11.9 7% above ME |
| Mount Desert and Cranberry Isles 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% |
17.2%±2.2 ME: 18.1% |
19.4%±9.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Cranberry Isles and Brunswick 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% |
22.9%±2.2 ME: 22.4% |
19.9%±7.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Mount Desert and Brunswick 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% |
53.9% ME: 36.2% |
51.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.9%±4.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
13.3%±1.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
6.6%±3.9 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $92,813±$9kHighest 24% above ME |
$74,952±$6k about the ME average |
$65,000±$37kLowest 13% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME |
$376,300±$15kLowest 27% above ME |
$439,100±$51k 48% above ME |
| Mount Desert and Cranberry Isles are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,341±$89 18% above ME |
$1,469±$99Highest 29% above ME |
$1,000±$413Lowest 12% below ME |
| Brunswick and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,512 16% above ME |
$4,756Highest 57% above ME |
$3,273Lowest 8% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 33.9%±31.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±8.8 ME: 48.4% |
71.4%±79Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Cranberry Isles and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.4% ME: 10.7% |
7.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
4.6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.8%Highest ME: 74.3% |
71.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
81% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1969 8 yrs older than ME |
1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME |
1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 18 minLowest 27% below ME |
23 minHighest 5% below ME |
20 min 17% below ME |
| Work from home | 19.1%±9.8 ME: 15.9% |
19.8%±3.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
6.5%±6Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Brunswick and Mount Desert 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 | — | #30 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Mount Desert Public Schools | Brunswick Public Schools · Brunswick-Region 10 | Cranberry Isles Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | Brunswick High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 10.9 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.