Compare towns
Palermo vs Appleton vs Waldo
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Palermo has the highest household income ($89k).
Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).
Waldo has the shortest commute (20 min average).
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 | Palermo | Appleton | Waldo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,473Highest |
1,360 |
926Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2.3%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+4.3% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 43.4±6.1 3% below ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
37.5±9.6Lowest 16% below ME |
| Appleton and Palermo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18.1%±4.3 ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.2%±4.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Waldo and Palermo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 21.2%±2 ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
12.2%±1.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Palermo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 31.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
34.1% ME: 36.2% |
36.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.2%±2 ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.8%±1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Appleton and Palermo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $89,095±$15kHighest 19% above ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$71,458±$21k 4% below ME |
| Palermo and Waldo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $259,700±$54kHighest 12% below ME |
$235,600±$33k 21% below ME |
$208,000±$41kLowest 30% below ME |
| Palermo and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,235±$1kHighest 8% above ME |
$1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME |
$1,150±$691 about the ME average |
| Palermo and Waldo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,506 17% below ME |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$1,623Lowest 47% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 65.6%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
74.1%±36.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Waldo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 4.8%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
10.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 91.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
84.6% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1988 11 yrs newer than ME |
1988 11 yrs newer than ME |
1988 11 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 24% above ME |
30 min 23% above ME |
20 minLowest 20% below ME |
| Work from home | 18.8%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
15.6%±4.2 ME: 15.9% |
| Palermo and Waldo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | RSU 12 | Appleton Public Schools | Waldo-Region 7 |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | None in town |
| 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.