Compare towns
Strong vs Waltham vs Sullivan
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%).
Waltham has the highest household income ($71k).
Sullivan has the most expensive homes ($222k 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 | Waltham | Sullivan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,249Highest |
346Lowest |
1,246 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
— | -1.4%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 47.5±8.9 6% above ME |
56.4±9.3Highest 26% above ME |
47.1±15Lowest 5% above ME |
| Waltham and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.5%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
15%±8.1Lowest ME: 18.1% |
18%±5.2 ME: 18.1% |
| Strong and Sullivan 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% |
32.9%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.5%±2.9 ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 26.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
26% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±1.6 ME: 5.8% |
1.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.1%±4Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Sullivan 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 |
$71,071±$14kHighest 5% below ME |
$59,643±$14k 20% below ME |
| Waltham and Sullivan 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 |
$181,300±$22kLowest 39% below ME |
$222,000±$33kHighest 25% below ME |
| Sullivan and Strong 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 |
$850±$567Lowest 25% below ME |
$883±$114 22% below ME |
| Strong and Sullivan 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 |
$1,452Lowest 52% below ME |
$2,228Highest 27% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 20.9%±52.4 ME: 48.4% |
15%±96.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
34.9%±23.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Sullivan 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% |
19.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
13.6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
85.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
85.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME |
1981 4 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 min 26% above ME |
41 minHighest 67% above ME |
26 minLowest 7% above ME |
| Work from home | 18.5%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
13.4%±6.1 ME: 15.9% |
12.6%±7.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Strong and Waltham 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 24 |
| High school in town | None in town | — | Sumner Memorial High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 10.5 |
| 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.