Compare towns
Readfield vs Appleton vs Castle Hill
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Readfield has the most people working from home (24.3%).
Appleton has the most renters (17.4% rent).
Castle Hill has the most affordable homes ($145k median).
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 | Readfield | Appleton | Castle Hill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 2,651Highest |
1,360 |
281Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | 0%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 48.1±7.6Lowest 7% above ME |
49.2±7.4 10% above ME |
57.8±15.8Highest 29% above ME |
| Castle Hill and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18.7%±3.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7 ME: 18.1% |
14.2%±5.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Readfield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22.3%±4.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3 ME: 22.4% |
44.8%±6.5Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 48.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
34.1% ME: 36.2% |
26.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.1%±5.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Appleton and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $86,504±$8kHighest 16% above ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$54,250±$14k 27% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $326,400±$20kHighest 10% above ME |
$235,600±$33k 21% below ME |
$145,300±$18kLowest 51% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,125±$844Highest about the ME average |
$1,104±$82 3% below ME |
$950±$574Lowest 17% below ME |
| Readfield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,392 12% above ME |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$1,449Lowest 52% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 31.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
75%±100 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5% ME: 10.7% |
9.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 89.9% ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
94.3%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1979Lowest 2 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1982 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 min 20% above ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
19 minLowest 24% below ME |
| Work from home | 24.3%±14.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
10.3%±9.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Readfield and Appleton 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 38 | Appleton Public Schools | — |
| High school in town | Maranacook Community High Sch | None in town | — |
| 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.