What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Paris has the most people working from home (19.4%).

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	Paris
People
Population	8,736Highest	5,317Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-0.1%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	44.1±3.5Lowest about the ME average	48.2±5.6Highest 8% above ME
	Paris and Presque Isle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3Highest ME: 18.1%	15.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Presque Isle and Paris are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4%	24.6%±5.9Highest ME: 22.4%
	Paris and Presque Isle 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%	28.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±1.4Highest ME: 5.8%	5%±3.8Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Presque Isle and Paris are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,768±$6kLowest 25% below ME	$75,137±$20kHighest about the ME average
	Paris and Presque Isle 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	$240,400±$57kHighest 19% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$904±$54 21% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,401Lowest 21% below ME	$2,649Highest 13% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.3%±9.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	62.3%±13.9Highest ME: 48.4%
	Paris 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%Highest ME: 10.7%	12.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	60.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME	1981Highest 4 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	14 minLowest 41% below ME	22 minHighest 9% below ME
Work from home	6.7%±3.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	19.4%±10.6Highest ME: 15.9%
	Paris and Presque Isle 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	#62 of 133 in ME	#114 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 79/MSAD 01	RSU 17/MSAD 17
High school in town	Presque Isle High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	13.7	—
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.