What stands out worked out from the figures below

York has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.5%).

Augusta has the most affordable homes ($201k 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	York	Augusta
People
Population	13,986Lowest	19,077Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.5%Highest ME: +2.6%	-1.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.5±5.2Highest 10% above ME	42.5±2.4Lowest 5% below ME
	York and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±3.3Highest ME: 18.1%	18.9%±2.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	York and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.9%±3.2Highest ME: 22.4%	21.5%±2.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.1%Highest ME: 36.2%	28.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.6%±1.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	Augusta and York are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,250±$25kHighest 62% above ME	$47,979±$3kLowest 36% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$636,400±$30kHighest 115% above ME	$201,000±$18kLowest 32% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,490±$336Highest 31% above ME	$919±$79Lowest 19% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,658Highest 53% above ME	$2,465Lowest 19% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.5%±10.8Highest ME: 48.4%	49.2%±8.3Lowest ME: 48.4%
	York and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%	18.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	53.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest same as ME	1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 4% below ME	19 minLowest 24% below ME
Work from home	26%±3.9Highest ME: 15.9%	15.1%±3.7Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#13 of 133 in ME	#119 of 133 in ME
School district	York Public Schools	Augusta Public Schools · Maine Arts Academy
High school in town	York High School	Cony
Students per teacherat that high school	9.6Lowest	17.9Highest
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.