What stands out worked out from the figures below

Veazie has the highest household income ($78k).

Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).

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	Veazie	Appleton
People
Population	1,847Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.7±4.6Lowest 4% above ME	49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME
	Appleton and Veazie are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±3.6Highest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Veazie and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Appleton and Veazie are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.9%Highest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8.8%±4.8Highest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Veazie and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,229±$10kHighest 5% above ME	$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME
	Veazie and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$293,100±$35kHighest about the ME average	$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME
	Veazie and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,095±$79Lowest 4% below ME	$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME
	Appleton and Veazie are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,073Highest 34% above ME	$3,588Lowest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.3%±16.4Lowest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Veazie are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 27% below ME	30 minHighest 23% above ME
Work from home	12%±4.7Highest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Veazie and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Veazie Public Schools	Appleton Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.