What stands out worked out from the figures below

Old Town has the most people working from home (21.4%).

Ellsworth has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).

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	Old Town	Ellsworth
People
Population	7,470Lowest	8,657Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+8.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	37±1.5Lowest 17% below ME	43±2.4Highest 4% below ME
Kids under 18	21.8%±4.1Highest ME: 18.1%	18.4%±3.5Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Old Town and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.9%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4%	22.1%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Ellsworth and Old Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%	39.3%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.2%±6.6Highest ME: 5.8%	5.3%±2Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Old Town and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,585±$10kLowest 31% below ME	$77,375±$18kHighest 4% above ME
	Ellsworth and Old Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$208,100±$26kLowest 30% below ME	$242,300±$22kHighest 18% below ME
	Ellsworth and Old Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$989±$100Lowest 13% below ME	$1,017±$195Highest 11% below ME
	Ellsworth and Old Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,153Lowest 4% above ME	$3,262Highest 7% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.3%±15Lowest ME: 48.4%	62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Ellsworth and Old Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.3%Highest ME: 10.7%	9.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.3%Lowest ME: 74.3%	66.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 14 yrs older than ME	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 18% below ME	25 minHighest about the ME average
Work from home	21.4%±11.3Highest ME: 15.9%	7.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#56 of 133 in ME	#63 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 34	Ellsworth Public Schools
High school in town	Old Town High School	Ellsworth High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	12.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.