Compare towns
Strong vs Unity vs Pittston
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%).
Unity has the youngest population (median age 27.5).
Pittston has the highest household income ($87k).
Unity is a college town. 30% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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 | Unity | Pittston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,249Lowest |
1,858 |
3,093Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+9.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+7.8% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 47.5±8.9Highest 6% above ME |
27.5±2.2Lowest 39% below ME |
41.4±5.9 8% below ME |
| Strong and Pittston 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% |
14%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±7.4 ME: 18.1% |
| Strong and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
11.8%±3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
18.5%±6.1 ME: 22.4% |
| Strong and Pittston 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% |
22.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
26.7%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
30%±4.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±4.1 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $47,557±$10kLowest 36% below ME |
$62,857±$6k 16% below ME |
$86,614±$18kHighest 16% above ME |
| Pittston and Unity 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 |
$206,900±$28k 30% below ME |
$238,700±$66kHighest 20% below ME |
| Pittston and Unity 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 |
$873±$73Lowest 23% below ME |
$1,080±$593Highest 5% below ME |
| Pittston 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 |
$2,510Highest 17% below ME |
$1,909Lowest 37% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 20.9%±52.4Lowest ME: 48.4% |
44.8%±13 ME: 48.4% |
57.6%±34.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Pittston and Unity 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% |
17.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
10.2%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
72.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
81% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 26% above ME |
21 minLowest 14% below ME |
26 min 7% above ME |
| Work from home | 18.5%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
15.8%±7.6 ME: 15.9% |
3.8%±3.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Strong and Unity 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 | — | — | #123 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 58/MSAD 58 | RSU 03/MSAD 03 · Ecology Learning Center | RSU 11/MSAD 11 |
| High school in town | None in town | Ecology Learning Ctr | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.4 |
— |
| 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.