What stands out worked out from the figures below

Swans Island has the most people working from home (8.8%).

Whiting has the most affordable homes ($214k 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	Swans Island	Whiting
People
Population	438Lowest	506Highest
Median age	52.8±9.5Highest 18% above ME	50±5Lowest 12% above ME
	Swans Island and Whiting 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%	17.8%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1%
	Whiting 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%	27.5%±6.1Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Swans Island and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Highest ME: 36.2%	34.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±3.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	2.8%±1.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Whiting 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±$13kHighest 15% above ME	$55,263±$2kLowest 26% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$316,700±$75kHighest 7% above ME	$214,200±$52kLowest 28% below ME
	Swans Island and Whiting 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	$600±$333Lowest 47% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,420Highest 20% below ME	$1,728Lowest 43% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Swans Island and Whiting 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%	5.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91%Lowest ME: 74.3%	93.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1981Highest 4 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	12 minLowest 51% below ME	22 minHighest 10% below ME
Work from home	8.8%±4.3Highest ME: 15.9%	5.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Swans Island and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	MSAD 76	Whiting 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.