What stands out worked out from the figures below

Winterport has the highest household income ($98k).

Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).

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	Winterport	Appleton
People
Population	3,850Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	42.3±5.5Lowest 6% below ME	49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME
	Appleton and Winterport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Winterport and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19%±4.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Appleton and Winterport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.5%Highest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.5%±3.7Highest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Winterport and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,333±$21kHighest 32% above ME	$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$283,000±$43kHighest 5% below ME	$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME
	Winterport and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,104±$82 3% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,646Lowest 13% below ME	$3,588Highest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.8%±25.4Lowest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Winterport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest same as ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 29% above ME	30 minLowest 23% above ME
Work from home	10.4%±6Lowest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Appleton and Winterport 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	#53 of 133 in ME	—
School district	RSU 22	Appleton 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.