What stands out worked out from the figures below

York has the most people working from home (26%).

Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k 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	Ellsworth
People
Population	13,986Highest	8,657Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.5%Highest ME: +2.6%	+8.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.5±5.2Highest 10% above ME	43±2.4Lowest 4% below ME
	York and Ellsworth 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%	18.4%±3.5Lowest ME: 18.1%
	York and Ellsworth 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%	22.1%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	York and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.1%Highest ME: 36.2%	39.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.3%±2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Ellsworth 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	$77,375±$18kLowest 4% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$636,400±$30kHighest 115% above ME	$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,490±$336Highest 31% above ME	$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME
	York and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,658Highest 53% above ME	$3,262Lowest 7% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.5%±10.8Lowest ME: 48.4%	62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Ellsworth and York 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%	9.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	66.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest same as ME	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 4% below ME	25 minHighest about the ME average
Work from home	26%±3.9Highest ME: 15.9%	7.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#13 of 133 in ME	#63 of 133 in ME
School district	York Public Schools	Ellsworth Public Schools
High school in town	York High School	Ellsworth High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.6Lowest	12.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.