What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most affordable homes ($354k median).

Mount Desert has the most expensive homes ($522k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Windham	Mount Desert
People
Population	594Lowest	1,671Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.2±7.4Lowest 14% above U.S.	54.9±8.2Highest 41% above U.S.
	Mount Desert and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±7.9Highest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Windham and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.2%±8.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.1%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Mount Desert and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	64.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±4.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Mount Desert and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,500±$12kHighest 17% above U.S.	$92,813±$9kLowest 15% above U.S.
	Windham and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$353,900±$20kLowest 6% above U.S.	$522,100±$66kHighest 57% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,341±$89 5% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,951Highest 91% above U.S.	$3,512Lowest 13% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±94Highest U.S.: 51.1%	33.9%±31.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.
Work from home	20.5%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	19.1%±9.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Windham and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Mount Desert Public Schools
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.