What stands out worked out from the figures below

Washburn has the most affordable homes ($113k median).

Wells has the most expensive homes ($485k 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	Washburn	Wells
People
Population	1,355Lowest	11,713Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+18%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	48.2±7.7Lowest 8% above ME	53.6±3.8Highest 20% above ME
	Wells and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.7%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1%	18%±3.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Washburn and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24%±3.7Lowest ME: 22.4%	31%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Wells and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26%Lowest ME: 36.2%	43.3%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.5%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Wells and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,196±$6kLowest 25% below ME	$88,024±$11kHighest 18% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$112,900±$14kLowest 62% below ME	$485,300±$23kHighest 64% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$482±$62Lowest 58% below ME	$1,350±$297Highest 19% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,571Lowest 48% below ME	$3,215Highest 6% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±24.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	42.1%±19.6Highest ME: 48.4%
	Wells and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.7%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	90.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME	1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 15% below ME	28 minHighest 12% above ME
Work from home	9.7%±3.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	17.8%±4.2Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#22 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 45/MSAD 45	Wells-Ogunquit CSD
High school in town	Washburn District High School	Wells High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	11.4Lowest
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.