Compare towns
Strong vs Franklin vs Sullivan
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%).
Franklin has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.7%).
Sullivan has the shortest commute (26 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 | Franklin | Sullivan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,249 |
1,628Highest |
1,246Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+5.7%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-1.4% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 47.5±8.9Highest 6% above ME |
46±9.3Lowest about the ME average |
47.1±15 5% above ME |
| Strong and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.5%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.3%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
18%±5.2 ME: 18.1% |
| Strong and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22%±4.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
25.6%±3.5Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.5%±2.9 ME: 22.4% |
| Franklin and Sullivan 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% |
28.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
26%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.2%±2.6 ME: 5.8% |
5.1%±4Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Sullivan and Franklin 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 |
$65,455±$16kHighest 12% below ME |
$59,643±$14k 20% below ME |
| Franklin and Sullivan 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 |
$245,800±$59kHighest 17% below ME |
$222,000±$33k 25% below ME |
| Franklin and Sullivan 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 |
$888±$306 22% below ME |
$883±$114Lowest 22% below ME |
| Strong and Franklin 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 |
$2,231Highest 27% below ME |
$2,228 27% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 20.9%±52.4Lowest ME: 48.4% |
36.7%±27.8Highest ME: 48.4% |
34.9%±23.6 ME: 48.4% |
| Franklin and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 13.9% ME: 10.7% |
15.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
13.6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.6% ME: 74.3% |
76.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
85.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1984Highest 7 yrs newer than ME |
1981 4 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 26% above ME |
29 min 18% above ME |
26 minLowest 7% above ME |
| Work from home | 18.5%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
12.2%±5.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
12.6%±7.9 ME: 15.9% |
| Strong and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | RSU 58/MSAD 58 | — | RSU 24 |
| High school in town | None in town | — | Sumner Memorial High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 10.5 |
| 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.