What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Saco has the most people working from home (19%).

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	Saco
People
Population	506Lowest	20,819Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+10.3% ME: +2.6%
Median age	50±5Highest 12% above ME	44.9±1.5Lowest about the ME average
	Whiting and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1%	16.7%±2.5Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Whiting and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.5%±6.1Highest ME: 22.4%	18.5%±2.1Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%	43.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.2%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Saco and Whiting 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	$92,241±$11kHighest 23% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$214,200±$52kLowest 28% below ME	$413,100±$17kHighest 39% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$600±$333Lowest 47% below ME	$1,249±$385Highest 10% above ME
	Saco and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,728Lowest 43% below ME	$4,807Highest 58% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	50.3%±14Highest ME: 48.4%
	Saco 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%	6.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	72.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 10% below ME	24 minHighest 3% below ME
Work from home	5.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	19%±3.6Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#38 of 133 in ME
School district	Whiting Public Schools	Saco 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.