Compare towns
Solon vs Appleton vs Pittston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Solon has the most affordable homes ($184k median).
Appleton has the most people working from home (11.1%).
Pittston has the highest household income ($87k).
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 | Solon | Appleton | Pittston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 963Lowest |
1,360 |
3,093Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.1%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2% ME: +2.6% |
+7.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.9±5.4 about the ME average |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
41.4±5.9Lowest 8% below ME |
| Appleton and Solon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.2%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±7.4Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 23.9%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.5%±6.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Solon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 25%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
26.7% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.3%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±4.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Pittston and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,205±$20k 7% below ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$86,614±$18kHighest 16% above ME |
| Pittston and Solon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $183,600±$12kLowest 38% below ME |
$235,600±$33k 21% below ME |
$238,700±$66kHighest 20% below ME |
| Pittston and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $915±$100Lowest 20% below ME |
$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME |
$1,080±$593 5% below ME |
| Appleton and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,854Lowest 39% below ME |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$1,909 37% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 14.6%±48.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
57.6%±34.6 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 10.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
10.2% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 88.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.6% ME: 74.3% |
81%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 52 minHighest 113% above ME |
30 min 23% above ME |
26 minLowest 7% above ME |
| Work from home | 9.1%±4.7 ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9% |
3.8%±3.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Appleton and Solon 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 | — | — | #123 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 74/MSAD 74 | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 11/MSAD 11 |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | None in town |
| 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.