What stands out worked out from the figures below

Phippsburg has the highest household income ($108k).

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	Phippsburg	Appleton
People
Population	2,238Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	54.3±6.3Highest 21% above ME	49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME
	Phippsburg and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.5%±3.1Lowest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Appleton and Phippsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34.4%±3.1Highest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Phippsburg and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8%
	Appleton and Phippsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,833±$19kHighest 44% above ME	$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$335,800±$47kHighest 13% above ME	$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,022±$346Lowest 10% below ME	$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME
	Appleton and Phippsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,034Lowest 33% below ME	$3,588Highest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.5%±98.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Phippsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Lowest 7 yrs newer than ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 13% below ME	30 minHighest 23% above ME
Work from home	11.7%±4.7Highest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Phippsburg and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 01 - LKRSU	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.