What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orrington has the highest household income ($95k).

Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).

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.

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

Measure	Orrington	Appleton
People
Population	3,853Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.5±3.3Highest 10% above ME	49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME
	Orrington and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Orrington and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.8%±5.1Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Appleton and Orrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Highest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Orrington and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,556±$10kHighest 27% above ME	$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$309,000±$49kHighest 4% above ME	$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME
	Orrington and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,167±$135Highest about the ME average	$1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME
	Orrington and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,823Lowest 7% below ME	$3,588Highest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.9%±20.6Lowest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Orrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.6%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME	1988Lowest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 13% below ME	30 minHighest 23% above ME
Work from home	11.4%±5.3Highest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Orrington and Appleton 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	#41 of 133 in ME	—
School district	Orrington Public Schools	Appleton 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.