Compare towns
Roxbury vs Appleton vs Byron vs Crystal
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Roxbury has the most affordable homes ($106k median).
Appleton has the most people working from home (11.1%).
Byron has the highest household income ($90k).
Crystal has the most kids (16.2% under 18).
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 | Roxbury | Appleton | Byron | Crystal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 352 |
1,360Highest |
174Lowest |
247 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | +7.2% ME: +2.6% |
— | — |
| Median age | 59.8±3.4 33% above ME |
49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME |
58.9±12.3 31% above ME |
63.2±8.4Highest 41% above ME |
| Crystal and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 6%±6.7 ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7 ME: 18.1% |
1.1%±16.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
16.2%±11.8Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Crystal and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 25.6%±10.8 ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3 ME: 22.4% |
14.4%±13.8Lowest ME: 22.4% |
49%±5.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 15.5% ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
11.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
22.9% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 0.6%±3.2 ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8% |
0%±8.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
0%±6.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Appleton and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $51,667±$34k 31% below ME |
$53,618±$19k 28% below ME |
$90,417±$53kHighest 21% above ME |
$48,125±$13kLowest 36% below ME |
| Byron and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $105,800±$48kLowest 64% below ME |
$235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME |
$122,700±$61k 59% below ME |
$129,200±$60k 56% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME |
— | $1,563±$922Highest 37% above ME |
| Crystal and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $850Lowest 72% below ME |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$1,301 57% below ME |
$943 69% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | — | 85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
— | 14.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 13.4% ME: 10.7% |
9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
14.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
14.7% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.5% ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
97.8%Highest ME: 74.3% |
92.8% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1978 1 yr newer than ME |
1974 3 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 29 min 16% above ME |
30 min 23% above ME |
43 minHighest 74% above ME |
27 minLowest 10% above ME |
| Work from home | 5.2%±5.7 ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9% |
4.1%±5.8 ME: 15.9% |
0%±15.1Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Appleton and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| School district | — | Appleton Public Schools | — | — |
| High school in town | — | None in town | — | — |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.