What stands out worked out from the figures below

Phillips has the most affordable homes ($191k median).

Poland has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.9%).

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	Phillips	Poland
People
Population	1,094Lowest	5,954Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+9.9%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.7±3.7Highest 11% above ME	44.2±9.4Lowest about the ME average
	Phillips and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±5.1Lowest ME: 18.1%	21.4%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Poland and Phillips are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.3%±2.1Highest ME: 22.4%	17.8%±4.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Phillips and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	23.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±2.6Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.2%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Poland and Phillips are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$45,385±$12kLowest 39% below ME	$85,557±$23kHighest 14% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$190,800±$18kLowest 36% below ME	$283,600±$44kHighest 4% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$483±$377Lowest 58% below ME	$1,198±$128Highest 5% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,582Lowest 15% below ME	$2,774Highest 9% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.4%±33Lowest ME: 48.4%	61.6%±30.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Poland and Phillips are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.7%Highest ME: 10.7%	16.6%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.3%Highest ME: 74.3%	81.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 8% below ME	28 minHighest 13% above ME
Work from home	16.8%±7Lowest ME: 15.9%	21.9%±10.6Highest ME: 15.9%
	Poland and Phillips 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	—	#81 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 58/MSAD 58	RSU 16
High school in town	None in town	Poland Regional H S
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.2
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.