Compare towns
Strong vs Appleton vs Levant
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Strong has the most people working from home (18.5%).
Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).
Levant has the highest household income ($86k).
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 | Strong | Appleton | Levant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,249Lowest |
1,360 |
3,069Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+3.1% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 47.5±8.9 6% above ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
39.7±2.2Lowest 11% below ME |
| Appleton and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.5%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19.8%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Levant and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22%±4.1 ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.1%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 26.5% ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
21.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.2%±2.8 ME: 5.8% |
| Appleton and Levant are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $47,557±$10kLowest 36% below ME |
$53,618±$19k 28% below ME |
$86,071±$22kHighest 15% above ME |
| Levant and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $183,900±$29kLowest 38% below ME |
$235,600±$33k 21% below ME |
$268,500±$27kHighest 9% below ME |
| Levant and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $920±$276Lowest 19% below ME |
$1,104±$82 3% below ME |
$1,370±$120Highest 20% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,950Lowest 36% below ME |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$2,580 15% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 20.9%±52.4Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
45.7%±14 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Levant are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 13.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.6% ME: 74.3% |
81.4%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1988 11 yrs newer than ME |
1995Highest 18 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 min 26% above ME |
30 minLowest 23% above ME |
31 minHighest 27% above ME |
| Work from home | 18.5%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
6.9%±5.6Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Strong and Appleton 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 | — | — | #124 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 58/MSAD 58 | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 87/MSAD 23 |
| 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.