Compare towns
North Berwick vs Arundel vs Sanford
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
North Berwick has the most people working from home (15%).
Arundel has the shortest commute (23 min average).
Sanford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+125.2%).
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.
| Measure | North Berwick | Arundel | Sanford |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 5,129 |
4,418Lowest |
22,247Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.8% ME: +2.6% |
+6%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+125.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 41.6±4.7 7% below ME |
40.9±6.4Lowest 9% below ME |
42.1±2.8Highest 6% below ME |
| Sanford and North Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21.2%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
20.4%±5.6 ME: 18.1% |
19.3%±2.2Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| North Berwick and Arundel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.9%±5Highest ME: 22.4% |
15.9%±3.4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
20.8%±2.3 ME: 22.4% |
| North Berwick and Sanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 29% ME: 36.2% |
29.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
24.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.7%±2.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.5%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.5%±0.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| North Berwick and Arundel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $101,875±$16kHighest 36% above ME |
$101,597±$17k 36% above ME |
$72,524±$7kLowest about the ME average |
| North Berwick and Arundel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $428,500±$33kHighest 44% above ME |
$421,300±$62k 42% above ME |
$280,200±$10kLowest 6% below ME |
| North Berwick and Arundel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,105±$116Lowest about the ME average |
$1,607±$495Highest 41% above ME |
$1,152±$72 about the ME average |
| Arundel and Sanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,735 23% above ME |
$3,763Highest 24% above ME |
$3,708Lowest 22% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 66.2%±28.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
34.2%±22.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
45.5%±7.9 ME: 48.4% |
| North Berwick and Sanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 4.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
5.9% ME: 10.7% |
10.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 88.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.2% ME: 74.3% |
71.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1992Highest 15 yrs newer than ME |
1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 27% above ME |
23 minLowest 7% below ME |
28 min 14% above ME |
| Work from home | 15%±5.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
7%±3.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
9.8%±2 ME: 15.9% |
| North Berwick and Sanford 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 | #82 of 133 in ME | #7 of 133 in ME | #100 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 60/MSAD 60 | RSU 21 | Sanford Public Schools |
| High school in town | Noble High School | None in town | Sanford High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.0Lowest |
— | 17.7Highest |
| 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.