What stands out worked out from the figures below

Skowhegan has the most affordable homes ($164k median).

Union has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.5%).

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	Skowhegan	Union
People
Population	8,653Highest	2,663Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.4%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+5.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	42.6±5.2Highest 5% below ME	41.6±5.3Lowest 7% below ME
	Skowhegan and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±3.2Lowest ME: 18.1%	24.9%±4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Union and Skowhegan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.4%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%	21.4%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Skowhegan and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	34.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8%	3.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Skowhegan and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,485±$6kLowest 34% below ME	$80,724±$9kHighest 8% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$164,400±$8kLowest 45% below ME	$267,600±$42kHighest 10% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$875±$68Lowest 23% below ME	$1,179±$452Highest 4% above ME
	Union and Skowhegan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,091Lowest 31% below ME	$3,276Highest 8% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.5%±11.1Highest ME: 48.4%	24.6%±19.8Lowest ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	14.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	10.2%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%	85.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 5 yrs older than ME	1979Highest 2 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	29 minHighest 20% above ME
Work from home	7.9%±4.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	15.9%±5.3Highest ME: 15.9%
	Union and Skowhegan 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	#128 of 133 in ME	—
School district	RSU 54/MSAD 54	RSU 40/MSAD 40
High school in town	Skowhegan Area High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	14.6	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.