What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ripton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+25.7%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Mount Desert	Ripton
People
Population	1,671Highest	508Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+25.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54.9±8.2Highest 41% above U.S.	47.7±14.2Lowest 23% above U.S.
	Mount Desert and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%	11.8%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Mount Desert and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.1%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ripton and Mount Desert 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 U.S.: 35.7%	48%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	20.1%±6.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,813±$9kLowest 15% above U.S.	$112,917±$15kHighest 40% above U.S.
	Ripton and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$522,100±$66kHighest 57% above U.S.	$394,400±$61kLowest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,341±$89 5% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,512Lowest 13% above U.S.	$4,915Highest 58% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.9%±31.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.9%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ripton 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 U.S.: 12.5%	8.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.	24 minHighest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	19.1%±9.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.2%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Mount Desert and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Mount Desert Public Schools	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.