Compare towns
Saco vs Hermon vs Ellsworth
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Saco has the most people working from home (19%).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k 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.
| Measure | Saco | Hermon | Ellsworth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 20,819Highest |
6,727Lowest |
8,657 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +10.3% ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+8.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 44.9±1.5Highest about the ME average |
41.1±4.7Lowest 8% below ME |
43±2.4 4% below ME |
| Saco and Ellsworth 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% |
21.6%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
| Hermon and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.5%±2.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
20.4%±4.7 ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Ellsworth and Hermon 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% |
37.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
39.3% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.2%±1.2 ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Ellsworth and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $92,241±$11k 23% above ME |
$96,629±$22kHighest 29% above ME |
$77,375±$18kLowest 4% above ME |
| Hermon 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 |
$333,600±$32k 12% above ME |
$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,249±$385 10% above ME |
$1,406±$202Highest 23% above ME |
$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME |
| Hermon and Saco 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 |
$2,761Lowest 9% below ME |
$3,262 7% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 50.3%±14 ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
6.8% ME: 10.7% |
9.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 72.8% ME: 74.3% |
75.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
66.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1982 5 yrs newer than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min 3% below ME |
23 minLowest 8% below ME |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
| Work from home | 19%±3.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2 ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #38 of 133 in ME | #54 of 133 in ME | #63 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Saco Public Schools | Hermon Public Schools | Ellsworth Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | Hermon High School | Ellsworth High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.6Highest |
12.7Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.