What stands out worked out from the figures below

Presque Isle has the most affordable homes ($147k median).

Augusta has the most people working from home (15.1%).

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	Presque Isle	Augusta
People
Population	8,736Lowest	19,077Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-1.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	44.1±3.5Highest about the ME average	42.5±2.4Lowest 5% below ME
	Presque Isle and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3Lowest ME: 18.1%	18.9%±2.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Augusta and Presque Isle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±3.1Highest ME: 22.4%	21.5%±2.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Presque Isle and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%	28.9%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±1.4Highest ME: 5.8%	3.6%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,768±$6kHighest 25% below ME	$47,979±$3kLowest 36% below ME
	Presque Isle and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$147,200±$11kLowest 50% below ME	$201,000±$18kHighest 32% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$904±$54Lowest 21% below ME	$919±$79Highest 19% below ME
	Augusta and Presque Isle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,401Lowest 21% below ME	$2,465Highest 19% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.3%±9.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	49.2%±8.3Highest ME: 48.4%
	Augusta and Presque Isle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	18.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	53.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 6 yrs older than ME	1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	14 minLowest 41% below ME	19 minHighest 24% below ME
Work from home	6.7%±3.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	15.1%±3.7Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#62 of 133 in ME	#119 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 79/MSAD 01	Augusta Public Schools · Maine Arts Academy
High school in town	Presque Isle High School	Cony
Students per teacherat that high school	13.7Lowest	17.9Highest
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.