Compare towns
Strong vs Mapleton vs Appleton 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
Strong has the most people working from home (18.5%).
Mapleton has the highest household income ($92k).
Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).
New Vineyard has the most kids (24.5% under 18).
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 | Mapleton | Appleton | New Vineyard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,249 |
1,884Highest |
1,360 |
607Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-3.2% ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-4.8% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 47.5±8.9 6% above ME |
41.8±6Lowest 7% below ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
47.5±9.5 6% above 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% |
22.2%±5.1 ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
24.5%±6.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
| New Vineyard and Mapleton 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% |
18.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3 ME: 22.4% |
27%±3.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
| New Vineyard and Appleton 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% |
34.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
34.1% ME: 36.2% |
20%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±1.6 ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
1.8%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Mapleton and Appleton 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 |
$91,731±$25kHighest 23% above ME |
$53,618±$19k 28% below ME |
$61,806±$19k 17% below ME |
| Mapleton and New Vineyard 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 |
$191,800±$23k 35% below ME |
$235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME |
$190,000±$76k 36% below ME |
| Appleton and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $920±$276 19% below ME |
$610±$277Lowest 46% below ME |
$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME |
$925±$490 19% below ME |
| Appleton and New Vineyard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,950 36% below ME |
$1,789Lowest 41% below ME |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$2,136 30% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 20.9%±52.4 ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±10.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
66.7%±5.3 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and New Vineyard 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% |
8.9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
22.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.6% ME: 74.3% |
79.9%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.6% ME: 74.3% |
90.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1987 10 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 31 min 26% above ME |
28 minLowest 13% above ME |
30 min 23% above ME |
34 minHighest 39% above ME |
| Work from home | 18.5%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
10.8%±3.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
16.7%±8.6 ME: 15.9% |
| Strong and New Vineyard 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 79/MSAD 01 | Appleton Public Schools | — |
| 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 | 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.