What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wells has the most homeowners (90.1%).

Scarborough has the highest household income ($134k).

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	Wells	Scarborough
People
Population	11,713Lowest	23,215Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+18%Highest ME: +2.6%	+17%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	53.6±3.8Highest 20% above ME	48.8±2.7Lowest 9% above ME
	Wells and Scarborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.4Highest ME: 18.1%	16.6%±2Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Wells and Scarborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4%	24.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%	57.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.7%±1.3Highest ME: 5.8%
	Scarborough and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,024±$11kLowest 18% above ME	$133,558±$21kHighest 79% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$485,300±$23kLowest 64% above ME	$551,900±$39kHighest 86% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,350±$297Lowest 19% above ME	$1,956±$178Highest 72% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,215Lowest 6% above ME	$5,978Highest 97% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.1%±19.6Lowest ME: 48.4%	51.9%±13.1Highest ME: 48.4%
	Scarborough and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	4.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.1%Highest ME: 74.3%	77.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME	1988Lowest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 12% above ME	19 minLowest 21% below ME
Work from home	17.8%±4.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	24.6%±4.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Scarborough and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#22 of 133 in ME	#35 of 133 in ME
School district	Wells-Ogunquit CSD	Scarborough Public Schools
High school in town	Wells High School	Scarborough High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	11.0Lowest
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.