Compare towns
Standish vs Appleton vs Winthrop
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Standish has the highest household income ($105k).
Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).
Winthrop has the most people working from home (23.1%).
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 | Standish | Appleton | Winthrop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,662Highest |
1,360Lowest |
6,191 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3.7% ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+0.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.5±2.8Lowest 10% below ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
43.6±5.3 about the ME average |
| Appleton and Winthrop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 16.4%±3.1 ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
22.9%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Winthrop and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 15.2%±2.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
23.4%±5 ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Winthrop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36% ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
40%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 11.6%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
3.5%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $104,593±$15kHighest 40% above ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$86,470±$4k 16% above ME |
| Standish and Winthrop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $336,000±$18kHighest 13% above ME |
$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
$294,800±$41k about the ME average |
| Standish and Winthrop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $983±$453 14% below ME |
$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME |
$892±$319Lowest 22% below ME |
| Appleton and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,005Lowest about the ME average |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$3,506 15% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 57.4%±22.3 ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
50.8%±22.4Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
12.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 91.2% ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
92.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1977Lowest same as ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minLowest 20% above ME |
30 min 23% above ME |
35 minHighest 41% above ME |
| Work from home | 13.6%±3.8 ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
23.1%±6.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Winthrop and Standish 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 | #18 of 133 in ME | — | #12 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 06/MSAD 06 | Appleton Public Schools | Winthrop Public Schools |
| High school in town | Bonny Eagle High School | None in town | Winthrop High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.5Highest |
— | 11.7Lowest |
| 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.