Compare towns
Roxbury 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
Roxbury has the most affordable homes ($106k median).
Appleton has the most expensive homes ($236k median).
Castle Hill has the shortest commute (19 min average).
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 | Castle Hill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 352 |
1,360Highest |
281Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | +7.2% ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 59.8±3.4Highest 33% above ME |
49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME |
57.8±15.8 29% above ME |
| Roxbury and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 6%±6.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.2%±5.8 ME: 18.1% |
| Appleton and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 25.6%±10.8Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3 ME: 22.4% |
44.8%±6.5Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 15.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
26.7% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 0.6%±3.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.1%±5.3 ME: 5.8% |
| Appleton and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $51,667±$34kLowest 31% below ME |
$53,618±$19k 28% below ME |
$54,250±$14kHighest 27% below ME |
| Castle Hill 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 |
$145,300±$18k 51% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME |
$950±$574Lowest 17% below ME |
| Appleton and Castle Hill 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 |
$1,449 52% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | — | 85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
75%±100Lowest 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 | 13.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
94.3% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1982 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 min 16% above ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
19 minLowest 24% below ME |
| Work from home | 5.2%±5.7Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9% |
10.3%±9.8 ME: 15.9% |
| Appleton and Castle Hill 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 |
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.