What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whiting has the most homeowners (93.6%).

Thomaston has the shortest commute (14 min average).

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	Thomaston
People
Population	506Lowest	2,769Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-1.5% ME: +2.6%
Median age	50±5Lowest 12% above ME	58.1±6.6Highest 30% above ME
	Thomaston 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%	19.2%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Thomaston 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%	35.5%±8.6Highest ME: 22.4%
	Thomaston 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%	30.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.8Highest ME: 5.8%	1.6%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Whiting and Thomaston 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	$56,435±$13kHighest 24% below ME
	Thomaston 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	$271,700±$10kHighest 8% below ME
	Thomaston 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	$1,262±$343Highest 11% above ME
	Thomaston 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	$4,487Highest 48% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	60.5%±23.5Highest ME: 48.4%
	Thomaston 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%	6.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	73.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 4 yrs newer than ME	1951Lowest 26 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 10% below ME	14 minLowest 45% below ME
Work from home	5.1%±2.8Highest ME: 15.9%	4.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Whiting and Thomaston 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	—	#99 of 133 in ME
School district	Whiting Public Schools	RSU 13
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.