Compare towns
Strong vs Mapleton vs Thomaston
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).
Thomaston has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.5%).
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 | Thomaston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,249Lowest |
1,884 |
2,769Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-3.2% ME: +2.6% |
-1.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 47.5±8.9 6% above ME |
41.8±6Lowest 7% below ME |
58.1±6.6Highest 30% above ME |
| Thomaston 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%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
19.2%±5.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Mapleton 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% |
18.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
35.5%±8.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 26.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
34.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
30.9% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±1.6 ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.6%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Mapleton 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 |
$91,731±$25kHighest 23% above ME |
$56,435±$13k 24% below ME |
| Mapleton and Thomaston 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 |
$271,700±$10kHighest 8% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $920±$276 19% below ME |
$610±$277Lowest 46% below ME |
$1,262±$343Highest 11% above ME |
| Thomaston and Strong 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 |
$4,487Highest 48% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 20.9%±52.4 ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±10.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
60.5%±23.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Thomaston and Strong 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% |
8.9% ME: 10.7% |
6.6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
79.9% ME: 74.3% |
73.9%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971 6 yrs older than ME |
1977Highest same as ME |
1951Lowest 26 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 26% above ME |
28 min 13% above ME |
14 minLowest 45% below ME |
| Work from home | 18.5%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
10.8%±3.8 ME: 15.9% |
4.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Strong and Mapleton 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 | — | — | #99 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 58/MSAD 58 | RSU 79/MSAD 01 | RSU 13 |
| 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.