Compare towns
Smithfield vs Hermon vs Friendship
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Smithfield has the most people working from home (22%).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
Friendship has the most homeowners (91.1%).
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 | Smithfield | Hermon | Friendship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 856Lowest |
6,727Highest |
1,213 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -10.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-0.9% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 55.8±3.5Highest 25% above ME |
41.1±4.7Lowest 8% below ME |
55.5±6.9 24% above ME |
| Smithfield and Friendship are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 10%±3.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
21.6%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±4.7 ME: 18.1% |
| Hermon and Friendship are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 29.7%±3.5 ME: 22.4% |
20.4%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
37.3%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Friendship and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
37.6% ME: 36.2% |
39.6%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3%±1.9 ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
0.8%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Hermon and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $107,917±$27kHighest 44% above ME |
$96,629±$22k 29% above ME |
$75,625±$22kLowest about the ME average |
| Smithfield and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $242,800±$15kLowest 18% below ME |
$333,600±$32kHighest 12% above ME |
$275,000±$56k 7% below ME |
| Hermon and Friendship are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,109±$358Lowest about the ME average |
$1,406±$202Highest 23% above ME |
$1,370±$53 20% above ME |
| Hermon and Friendship are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,866Highest 6% below ME |
$2,761 9% below ME |
$2,218Lowest 27% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 42.9%±45.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
37.5%±42.4 ME: 48.4% |
| Smithfield and Friendship are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5.8%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
6.8% ME: 10.7% |
10%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 88.9% ME: 74.3% |
75.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
91.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
1973Lowest 4 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 33 minHighest 32% above ME |
23 minLowest 8% below ME |
25 min about the ME average |
| Work from home | 22%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
17.9%±7.4 ME: 15.9% |
| Smithfield and Friendship 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 | — | #54 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | — | Hermon Public Schools | RSU 40/MSAD 40 |
| High school in town | — | Hermon High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.6 |
— |
| 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.