Compare towns
Windham vs Appleton vs Little Falls vs Gray
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Windham has the most people working from home (19%).
Appleton has the most affordable homes ($236k median).
Little Falls has grown the fastest since 2010 (+21.9%).
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 | Windham | Appleton | Little Falls | Gray |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 19,188Highest |
1,360 |
718Lowest |
8,429 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.4% ME: +2.6% |
+7.2% ME: +2.6% |
+21.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 41.8±1.8Lowest 7% below ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
46.3±21.2 3% above ME |
43.4±4.5 3% below ME |
| Appleton and Little Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 19.2%±2.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
15.5%±16.3 ME: 18.1% |
19%±4 ME: 18.1% |
| Windham and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 15.9%±2.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
19.1%±3.3 ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4 ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 44.2% ME: 36.2% |
34.1% ME: 36.2% |
22.9%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
44.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.9%±1.1 ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
2.5%±3.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Gray and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $107,934±$14k 44% above ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$127,500±$72kHighest 71% above ME |
$95,236±$8k 27% above ME |
| Little Falls and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $388,900±$22kHighest 31% above ME |
$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
$375,800±$96k 27% above ME |
$363,700±$20k 23% above ME |
| Windham and Little Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,232±$332 8% above ME |
$1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME |
$2,205±$101Highest 94% above ME |
$1,371±$89 20% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,938 30% above ME |
$3,588Lowest 18% above ME |
$4,041Highest 33% above ME |
$3,683 21% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 32.7%±14.7 ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
15.3%±31.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 3.4% ME: 10.7% |
9.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
0.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
3.5% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.6% ME: 74.3% |
67.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.4% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1985 8 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1979Lowest 2 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 26 minLowest 7% above ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
27 min 8% above ME |
29 min 16% above ME |
| Work from home | 19%±4.1Highest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
0%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
| Windham and Gray 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 | #95 of 133 in ME | — | — | #10 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 14 | Appleton Public Schools | — | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences |
| High school in town | Windham High School | None in town | — | Gray-New Gloucester High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.1Lowest |
— | — | 12.5Highest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 2 photos → | 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.