Compare towns
Strong vs Howland
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%).
Howland has the most affordable homes ($150k 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.
| Measure | Strong | Howland |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 1,249Lowest |
1,367Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-11.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 47.5±8.9Lowest 6% above ME |
47.6±10.2Highest 6% above ME |
| Howland and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 19.5%±3.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
22%±5.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Howland and Strong 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% |
22.8%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Howland 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%Highest ME: 36.2% |
12%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.1%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Howland and Strong 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 |
$49,297±$21kHighest 34% below ME |
| Howland 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±$29kHighest 38% below ME |
$150,100±$52kLowest 49% below ME |
| Strong and Howland 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 |
$916±$246Lowest 20% below ME |
| Strong and Howland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,950Highest 36% below ME |
$1,546Lowest 49% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 20.9%±52.4Lowest ME: 48.4% |
29%±18.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Howland and Strong 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% |
25.2%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
77.9%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Highest 6 yrs older than ME |
1970Lowest 7 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 26% above ME |
31 minLowest 26% above ME |
| Work from home | 18.5%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
0%±3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| School district | RSU 58/MSAD 58 | RSU 31/MSAD 31 |
| High school in town | None in town | Penobscot Valley High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 8.9 |
| 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.