What stands out worked out from the figures below

Standish has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.7%).

Sullivan has the most affordable homes ($222k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Standish	Sullivan
People
Population	10,662Highest	1,246Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.7%Highest ME: +2.6%	-1.4%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.5±2.8Lowest 10% below ME	47.1±15Highest 5% above ME
	Sullivan and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.1Lowest ME: 18.1%	18%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1%
	Sullivan 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%	22.5%±2.9Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36%Highest ME: 36.2%	26%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.6%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8%	5.1%±4Lowest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,593±$15kHighest 40% above ME	$59,643±$14kLowest 20% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,000±$18kHighest 13% above ME	$222,000±$33kLowest 25% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$983±$453Highest 14% below ME	$883±$114Lowest 22% below ME
	Standish and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Highest about the ME average	$2,228Lowest 27% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.3Highest ME: 48.4%	34.9%±23.6Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Standish and Sullivan 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%	13.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	85.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME	1981Highest 4 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 20% above ME	26 minLowest 7% above ME
Work from home	13.6%±3.8Highest ME: 15.9%	12.6%±7.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Standish and Sullivan 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	—
School district	RSU 06/MSAD 06	RSU 24
High school in town	Bonny Eagle High School	Sumner Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Highest	10.5Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.