What stands out worked out from the figures below

Porter has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.8%).

Winthrop has the most people working from home (23.1%).

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	Porter	Winthrop
People
Population	1,746Lowest	6,191Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.8%Highest ME: +2.6%	+0.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.9±7.9Lowest 9% below ME	43.6±5.3Highest about the ME average
	Winthrop and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.8%±4Lowest ME: 18.1%	22.9%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Winthrop and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	23.4%±5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Winthrop and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14%Lowest ME: 36.2%	40%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8%	3.5%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Porter and Winthrop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,417±$9kLowest 19% below ME	$86,470±$4kHighest 16% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$226,100±$20kLowest 24% below ME	$294,800±$41kHighest about the ME average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$892±$319 22% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,841Lowest 39% below ME	$3,506Highest 15% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.9%±8.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	50.8%±22.4Highest ME: 48.4%
	Winthrop and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%	12.9%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	92.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr newer than ME	1977Lowest same as ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 30% above ME	35 minHighest 41% above ME
Work from home	15.5%±5.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	23.1%±6.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Winthrop and Porter 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	—	#12 of 133 in ME
School district	—	Winthrop Public Schools
High school in town	—	Winthrop High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.7
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.