Compare towns
Readfield vs Appleton vs Pittston
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 oldest population (median age 49.2).
Pittston has the youngest population (median age 41.4).
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.
| Measure | Readfield | Appleton | Pittston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 2,651 |
1,360Lowest |
3,093Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | 0%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2% ME: +2.6% |
+7.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 48.1±7.6 7% above ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
41.4±5.9Lowest 8% below ME |
| Appleton and Readfield 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%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±7.4 ME: 18.1% |
| Readfield and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22.3%±4.5 ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.5%±6.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| 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%±2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±4.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Pittston and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $86,504±$8k 16% above ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$86,614±$18kHighest 16% above ME |
| Pittston and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $326,400±$20kHighest 10% above ME |
$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
$238,700±$66k 20% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,125±$844Highest about the ME average |
$1,104±$82 3% below ME |
$1,080±$593Lowest 5% 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 |
$1,909Lowest 37% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 31.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
57.6%±34.6 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
10.2%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 89.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.6% ME: 74.3% |
81%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1979Lowest 2 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 min 20% above ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
26 minLowest 7% above ME |
| Work from home | 24.3%±14.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
3.8%±3.8Lowest 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 | — | #123 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 38 | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 11/MSAD 11 |
| High school in town | Maranacook Community High Sch | None in town | 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.