What stands out worked out from the figures below

Saco has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.3%).

Dayton has the highest household income ($114k).

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	Saco	Dayton
People
Population	20,819Highest	2,313Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest ME: +2.6%	+8.3%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	44.9±1.5Highest about the ME average	42.1±5.5Lowest 6% below ME
	Saco and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.7%±2.5Lowest ME: 18.1%	20.4%±4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Dayton and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±2.1Highest ME: 22.4%	14.3%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Saco and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.5%Highest ME: 36.2%	27.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8%	5.1%±2.6Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Saco and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,241±$11kLowest 23% above ME	$113,750±$24kHighest 52% above ME
	Dayton and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$413,100±$17kHighest 39% above ME	$398,200±$34kLowest 34% above ME
	Saco and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,249±$385Highest 10% above ME	$1,215±$867Lowest 7% above ME
	Saco and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,807Highest 58% above ME	$3,872Lowest 28% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.3%±14Highest ME: 48.4%	38%±19.6Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Saco and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest ME: 10.7%	3.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 3% below ME	31 minHighest 26% above ME
Work from home	19%±3.6Highest ME: 15.9%	16.3%±3.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Saco and Dayton 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	#38 of 133 in ME	—
School district	Saco Public Schools	Dayton Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.