Compare towns
Starks vs Ludlow vs New Vineyard
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Starks has the highest household income ($64k).
Ludlow has the shortest commute (21 min average).
New Vineyard has the most people working from home (16.7%).
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 | Starks | Ludlow | New Vineyard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 556 |
444Lowest |
607Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.3%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
— | -4.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.7±9.4 4% above ME |
46.1±5.8Lowest about the ME average |
47.5±9.5Highest 6% above ME |
| New Vineyard and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 16.4%±4.4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
22.7%±5.9 ME: 18.1% |
24.5%±6.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
| New Vineyard and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.3%±2.2 ME: 22.4% |
12.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
27%±3.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 21%Highest ME: 36.2% |
16.2%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
20% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 0.9%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
2.7%±3.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.8%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
| Ludlow and New Vineyard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $63,500±$8kHighest 15% below ME |
$62,500±$21k 16% below ME |
$61,806±$19kLowest 17% below ME |
| Starks and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $148,500±$27k 50% below ME |
$133,900±$56kLowest 55% below ME |
$190,000±$76kHighest 36% below ME |
| New Vineyard and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,063±$301Highest 7% below ME |
$988±$111 13% below ME |
$925±$490Lowest 19% below ME |
| Starks and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,348Lowest 56% below ME |
$1,655 45% below ME |
$2,136Highest 30% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 45.5%±90.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
45.5%±94.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
66.7%±5.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
| New Vineyard and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 19.2% ME: 10.7% |
15.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
22.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 90%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
90.4% ME: 74.3% |
90.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1988 11 yrs newer than ME |
1992Highest 15 yrs newer than ME |
1987Lowest 10 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 33 min 33% above ME |
21 minLowest 15% below ME |
34 minHighest 39% above ME |
| Work from home | 3.3%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
9.8%±8 ME: 15.9% |
16.7%±8.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| New Vineyard and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.