What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whiting has the most affordable homes ($214k median).

Penobscot has the most people working from home (17.7%).

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	Whiting	Penobscot
People
Population	506Lowest	1,154Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-10.1% ME: +2.6%
Median age	50±5Lowest 12% above ME	53.4±5.7Highest 19% above ME
	Penobscot and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1%	18%±6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Penobscot and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.5%±6.1Lowest ME: 22.4%	32%±4.5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Penobscot and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.9%Highest ME: 36.2%	32.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.8Highest ME: 5.8%	1%±0.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Whiting and Penobscot are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,263±$2kLowest 26% below ME	$63,194±$14kHighest 15% below ME
	Penobscot and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$214,200±$52kLowest 28% below ME	$296,400±$58kHighest about the ME average
	Penobscot and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$600±$333Lowest 47% below ME	$1,141±$33Highest about the ME average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,728Lowest 43% below ME	$1,852Highest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	73.9%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Penobscot and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	16%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	84.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 4 yrs newer than ME	1979Lowest 2 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 10% below ME	25 minHighest about the ME average
Work from home	5.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	17.7%±13.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Penobscot and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Whiting Public Schools	Penobscot 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.