Compare towns
West Paris vs Appleton vs Sumner
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
West Paris has the most people working from home (23.8%).
Appleton has the most expensive homes ($236k median).
Sumner has the most affordable homes ($150k 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.
| Measure | West Paris | Appleton | Sumner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,808Highest |
1,360 |
845Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+5.9% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46±7.9Lowest about the ME average |
49.2±7.4 10% above ME |
56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME |
| Sumner and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.3%±3.3Lowest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7 ME: 18.1% |
17.2%±6.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Sumner and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 25.2%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3 ME: 22.4% |
29.7%±5.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Sumner and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 23.1% ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.4%±1.6 ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Appleton and West Paris are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $56,324±$5k 25% below ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$57,750±$19kHighest 23% below ME |
| Sumner and West Paris are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $193,000±$20k 35% below ME |
$235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME |
$150,000±$73kLowest 49% below ME |
| Appleton and West Paris are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $838±$333Lowest 26% below ME |
$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME |
— |
| Appleton and West Paris are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,083Lowest 31% below ME |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$2,167 29% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 61.5%±34.6Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100 ME: 48.4% |
100%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Sumner and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 24.1%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
5.8%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 80.9%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.6% ME: 74.3% |
91.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1973Lowest 4 yrs older than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1977 same as ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 32 min 32% above ME |
30 minLowest 23% above ME |
42 minHighest 72% above ME |
| Work from home | 23.8%±18.4Highest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
18.5%±8 ME: 15.9% |
| West Paris and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | RSU 17/MSAD 17 | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 10 |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | None in town |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.