What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orrington has the most affordable homes ($309k median).

Blue Hill has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.9%).

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	Blue Hill
People
Population	3,853Highest	2,813Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+3.9%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.5±3.3Highest 10% above ME	48.6±8.2Lowest 8% above ME
	Orrington and Blue Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1%	18.3%±7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Blue Hill and Orrington 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%	29.6%±10.2Highest ME: 22.4%
	Blue Hill 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%	38.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.2Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.7%±4.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Blue Hill and Orrington 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	$80,377±$17kLowest 8% above ME
	Orrington and Blue Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$309,000±$49kLowest 4% above ME	$399,500±$82kHighest 35% above ME
	Blue Hill and Orrington 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	$1,038±$638Lowest 9% below ME
	Orrington and Blue Hill 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	$2,907Highest 4% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.9%±20.6Lowest ME: 48.4%	93.6%±27.2Highest ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	6.6%Highest ME: 10.7%	4.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	79.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1989Lowest 12 yrs newer than ME	1992Highest 15 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 13% below ME	21 minLowest 15% below ME
Work from home	11.4%±5.3Lowest ME: 15.9%	21%±9.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Blue Hill and Orrington 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	#29 of 133 in ME
School district	Orrington Public Schools	Blue Hill Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.