Compare towns
Pownal vs Surry vs Readfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Pownal has the most expensive homes ($437k median).
Surry has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.3%).
Readfield has the most people working from home (24.3%).
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 | Pownal | Surry | Readfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,696Lowest |
1,836 |
2,651Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.2% ME: +2.6% |
+11.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
0%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 47.2±8.4Lowest 5% above ME |
52.4±5.6Highest 17% above ME |
48.1±7.6 7% above ME |
| Surry and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 24.2%±4.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.6%±3.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
18.7%±3.9 ME: 18.1% |
| Pownal and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 23.5%±2.6 ME: 22.4% |
30.9%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.3%±4.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 49%Highest ME: 36.2% |
38.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
48.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.2%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
2%±1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
| Pownal and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $104,333±$14kHighest 40% above ME |
$74,508±$12kLowest about the ME average |
$86,504±$8k 16% above ME |
| Pownal and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $436,800±$32kHighest 47% above ME |
$296,300±$36kLowest about the ME average |
$326,400±$20k 10% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $981±$636 14% below ME |
$969±$129Lowest 15% below ME |
$1,125±$844Highest about the ME average |
| Readfield and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,212Highest 72% above ME |
$1,903Lowest 37% below ME |
$3,392 12% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 78.9%±22.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
65.8%±59.5 ME: 48.4% |
31.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Pownal and Surry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5.5% ME: 10.7% |
7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 89.4% ME: 74.3% |
88.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME |
1979 2 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 min 22% above ME |
31 minHighest 26% above ME |
30 minLowest 20% above ME |
| Work from home | 23.9%±5.4 ME: 15.9% |
11.4%±5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
24.3%±14.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Readfield and Pownal 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 | — | — | #20 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 05 | Surry Public Schools | RSU 38 |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | Maranacook Community High Sch |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 11.5 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.