Compare towns
Strong vs Farmington vs Phillips
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 homeowners (84.6%).
Farmington has grown the fastest since 2010 (-2.2%).
Phillips has the shortest commute (23 min average).
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 | Farmington | Phillips |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,249 |
8,157Highest |
1,094Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.5% ME: +2.6% |
-2.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-12.6%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 47.5±8.9 6% above ME |
38.2±3.3Lowest 15% below ME |
49.7±3.7Highest 11% above ME |
| Phillips 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% |
10.6%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.7%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Phillips and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
20.7%±3.8Lowest ME: 22.4% |
21.3%±2.1 ME: 22.4% |
| Strong and Phillips 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% |
38.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
20.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
20.6%±3.7Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.9%±2.6 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $47,557±$10k 36% below ME |
$54,276±$7kHighest 27% below ME |
$45,385±$12kLowest 39% below ME |
| Farmington and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $183,900±$29k 38% below ME |
$166,600±$18kLowest 44% below ME |
$190,800±$18kHighest 36% below ME |
| Phillips and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $920±$276Highest 19% below ME |
$902±$106 21% below ME |
$483±$377Lowest 58% below ME |
| Strong and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,950Lowest 36% below ME |
$1,958 36% below ME |
$2,582Highest 15% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 20.9%±52.4Lowest ME: 48.4% |
44.2%±12.1Highest ME: 48.4% |
40.4%±33 ME: 48.4% |
| Farmington and Phillips are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 13.9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
15.4% ME: 10.7% |
17.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
55.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
83.3% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1975Highest 2 yrs older than ME |
1974 3 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 26% above ME |
27 min 9% above ME |
23 minLowest 8% below ME |
| Work from home | 18.5%±9.8 ME: 15.9% |
20%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
16.8%±7Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Farmington and Strong 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 | — | #64 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 58/MSAD 58 | RSU 09 | RSU 58/MSAD 58 |
| High school in town | None in town | Mt Blue High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.2 |
— |
| 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.