What stands out worked out from the figures below

Swans Island has the shortest commute (12 min average).

Roque Bluffs has the most people working from home (13.9%).

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	Swans Island	Roque Bluffs
People
Population	438Highest	369Lowest
Median age	52.8±9.5Highest 18% above ME	51.1±13.4Lowest 14% above ME
	Swans Island and Roque Bluffs are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±6Lowest ME: 18.1%	24.1%±9.5Highest ME: 18.1%
	Roque Bluffs and Swans Island are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.1%±10.9Highest ME: 22.4%	26.3%±9.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Swans Island and Roque Bluffs are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%	39.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±3.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	1.9%±2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Roque Bluffs and Swans Island are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,250±$13kLowest 15% above ME	$89,375±$34kHighest 20% above ME
	Roque Bluffs and Swans Island are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$316,700±$75kHighest 7% above ME	$290,300±$59kLowest about the ME average
	Swans Island and Roque Bluffs are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,125±$556Highest 87% above ME	$950±$515Lowest 17% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,420Highest 20% below ME	$1,859Lowest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	80%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Roque Bluffs and Swans Island are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%	11.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91%Lowest ME: 74.3%	96.4%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	12 minLowest 51% below ME	17 minHighest 32% below ME
Work from home	8.8%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9%	13.9%±8.6Highest ME: 15.9%
	Roque Bluffs and Swans Island are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	MSAD 76	—
High school 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.