Compare towns
Strong vs Solon 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%).
Solon has the highest household income ($69k).
New Vineyard has grown the fastest since 2010 (-4.8%).
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 | Solon | New Vineyard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,249Highest |
963 |
607Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-7.1% ME: +2.6% |
-4.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 47.5±8.9Highest 6% above ME |
45.9±5.4Lowest about the ME average |
47.5±9.5Highest 6% above ME |
| Kids under 18 | 19.5%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±4.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
24.5%±6.3Highest ME: 18.1% |
| New Vineyard 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% |
23.9%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
27%±3.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
| New Vineyard and Solon 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% |
25% ME: 36.2% |
20%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±1.6Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.3%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
1.8%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
| Strong and New Vineyard 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 |
$69,205±$20kHighest 7% below ME |
$61,806±$19k 17% below ME |
| Solon 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±$29k 38% below ME |
$183,600±$12kLowest 38% below ME |
$190,000±$76kHighest 36% below ME |
| New Vineyard and Strong 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 |
$915±$100Lowest 20% below ME |
$925±$490Highest 19% below ME |
| New Vineyard 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 |
$1,854Lowest 39% below ME |
$2,136Highest 30% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 20.9%±52.4 ME: 48.4% |
14.6%±48.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
66.7%±5.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
| New Vineyard and Strong 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% |
10.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
22.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
88.6% ME: 74.3% |
90.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1978 1 yr newer than ME |
1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minLowest 26% above ME |
52 minHighest 113% above ME |
34 min 39% above ME |
| Work from home | 18.5%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
9.1%±4.7Lowest 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 74/MSAD 74 | — |
| High school 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.