Compare towns
Roxbury vs Unity 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).
Unity has the most people working from home (15.8%).
Byron has the highest household income ($90k).
Crystal has the most kids (16.2% under 18).
Unity is a college town. 30% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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 | Unity | Byron | Crystal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 352 |
1,858Highest |
174Lowest |
247 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | +9.2% ME: +2.6% |
— | — |
| Median age | 59.8±3.4 33% above ME |
27.5±2.2Lowest 39% below 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% |
14%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
1.1%±16.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
16.2%±11.8Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Crystal and Unity 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% |
11.8%±3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
14.4%±13.8 ME: 22.4% |
49%±5.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 15.5% ME: 36.2% |
22.1% ME: 36.2% |
11.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
22.9%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 0.6%±3.2 ME: 5.8% |
30%±4.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
0%±8.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
0%±6.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $51,667±$34k 31% below ME |
$62,857±$6k 16% below ME |
$90,417±$53kHighest 21% above ME |
$48,125±$13kLowest 36% below ME |
| Byron and Unity 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 |
$206,900±$28kHighest 30% below ME |
$122,700±$61k 59% below ME |
$129,200±$60k 56% below ME |
| Unity and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $873±$73Lowest 23% below ME |
— | $1,563±$922Highest 37% above ME |
| Crystal and Unity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $850Lowest 72% below ME |
$2,510Highest 17% below ME |
$1,301 57% below ME |
$943 69% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | — | 44.8%±13Highest ME: 48.4% |
— | 14.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Unity and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 13.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
17.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
14.9% ME: 10.7% |
14.7% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.5% ME: 74.3% |
72.3%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 |
1983Highest 6 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 |
21 minLowest 14% below ME |
43 minHighest 74% above ME |
27 min 10% above ME |
| Work from home | 5.2%±5.7 ME: 15.9% |
15.8%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
4.1%±5.8 ME: 15.9% |
0%±15.1Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Unity and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| School district | — | RSU 03/MSAD 03 · Ecology Learning Center | — | — |
| High school in town | — | Ecology Learning Ctr | — | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.4 |
— | — |
| 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.