What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ripley has the most people working from home (6.5%).

Pittston has the most expensive homes ($239k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Ripley	Pittston
People
Population	436Lowest	3,093Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+7.8% ME: +2.6%
Median age	47.7±5.3Highest 6% above ME	41.4±5.9Lowest 8% below ME
	Ripley and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±6.5Lowest ME: 18.1%	17.2%±7.4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Pittston and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.7%±4.6Lowest ME: 22.4%	18.5%±6.1Highest ME: 22.4%
	Pittston and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	26.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±6Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.4%±4.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	Pittston and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,821±$13kLowest 13% below ME	$86,614±$18kHighest 16% above ME
	Pittston and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$144,300±$33kLowest 51% below ME	$238,700±$66kHighest 20% below ME
	Pittston and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,091±$281Highest 4% below ME	$1,080±$593Lowest 5% below ME
	Ripley and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,270Lowest 58% below ME	$1,909Highest 37% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±73.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	57.6%±34.6Highest ME: 48.4%
	Pittston and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.9%Highest ME: 10.7%	10.2%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81% ME: 74.3%	81% ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 28% above ME	26 minLowest 7% above ME
Work from home	6.5%±6.2Highest ME: 15.9%	3.8%±3.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Ripley and Pittston 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	—	#123 of 133 in ME
School district	—	RSU 11/MSAD 11
High school in town	—	None in town
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.