What stands out worked out from the figures below

Surry has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.3%).

Mount Desert has the most expensive homes ($522k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Surry	Mount Desert
People
Population	1,836Highest	1,671Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.3%Highest ME: +2.6%	+4.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	52.4±5.6Lowest 17% above ME	54.9±8.2Highest 23% above ME
	Mount Desert and Surry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.6%±3.7Highest ME: 18.1%	14.1%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Surry and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.9%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%	29.1%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Surry and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	64.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.9%±4.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	Mount Desert and Surry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,508±$12kLowest about the ME average	$92,813±$9kHighest 24% above ME
	Mount Desert and Surry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,300±$36kLowest about the ME average	$522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$969±$129Lowest 15% below ME	$1,341±$89Highest 18% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,903Lowest 37% below ME	$3,512Highest 16% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65.8%±59.5Highest ME: 48.4%	33.9%±31.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Surry and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Lowest ME: 10.7%	7.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	84.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 26% above ME	18 minLowest 27% below ME
Work from home	11.4%±5Lowest ME: 15.9%	19.1%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Mount Desert and Surry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Surry Public Schools	Mount Desert Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.