What stands out worked out from the figures below

Owls Head has the most expensive homes ($413k median).

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	Owls Head	Appleton
People
Population	1,482Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	52.6±6.6Highest 17% above ME	49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME
	Owls Head and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.6%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Appleton and Owls Head are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.9%±4.4Highest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Owls Head and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8%
	Appleton and Owls Head are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$87,325±$7kHighest 17% above ME	$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$413,300±$43kHighest 39% above ME	$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$386Highest 5% above ME	$1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME
	Owls Head and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,981Lowest about the ME average	$3,588Highest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.9%±51.6Lowest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Owls Head are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 34% below ME	30 minHighest 23% above ME
Work from home	13.3%±4.1Highest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Owls Head and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 13	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.