What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mount Desert has the most people working from home (19.1%).

Whiting has the most affordable homes ($214k median).

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	Whiting
People
Population	1,671Highest	506Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.5% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	54.9±8.2Highest 23% above ME	50±5Lowest 12% above ME
	Mount Desert and Whiting 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%	17.8%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1%
	Whiting 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%	27.5%±6.1Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Mount Desert and Whiting 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%	34.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±4.1Highest ME: 5.8%	2.8%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Mount Desert and Whiting 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	$55,263±$2kLowest 26% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME	$214,200±$52kLowest 28% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,341±$89Highest 18% above ME	$600±$333Lowest 47% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,512Highest 16% above ME	$1,728Lowest 43% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.9%±31.5Highest ME: 48.4%	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Mount Desert and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	93.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME	1981Highest 4 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 27% below ME	22 minHighest 10% below ME
Work from home	19.1%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9%	5.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	Mount Desert Public Schools	Whiting 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.