Compare towns
Trenton vs Appleton vs Liberty
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Trenton has the most expensive homes ($357k median).
Appleton has the oldest population (median age 49.2).
Liberty has the most people working from home (14.4%).
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 | Trenton | Appleton | Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,599Highest |
1,360 |
969Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7% ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2.3%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 43.5±7.7 about the ME average |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
40.5±6.8Lowest 10% below ME |
| Appleton and Trenton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20.1%±4.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19.4%±4.6 ME: 18.1% |
| Trenton and Liberty are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 25.5%±4.2 ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
21.8%±2.8Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Trenton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 42.3% ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
43.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.2%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
0.4%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Trenton and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $60,455±$13k 19% below ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$71,146±$15kHighest 5% below ME |
| Liberty and Trenton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $357,400±$36kHighest 20% above ME |
$235,600±$33k 21% below ME |
$229,600±$31kLowest 23% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,102±$241 3% below ME |
$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME |
$559±$193Lowest 51% below ME |
| Appleton and Trenton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,310Lowest 24% below ME |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$2,434 20% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 50.3%±20.4 ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
38.5%±42.4Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Trenton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 18.2%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
14.8% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 77.4%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.6% ME: 74.3% |
84.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME |
1988 11 yrs newer than ME |
1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minLowest 17% above ME |
30 min 23% above ME |
38 minHighest 56% above ME |
| Work from home | 11.3%±4.9 ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
14.4%±8.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Liberty and Trenton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | Trenton Public Schools | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 03/MSAD 03 |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | None in town |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.