What stands out worked out from the figures below

Baileyville has the most affordable homes ($112k median).

Alexander has the most expensive homes ($194k 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	Baileyville	Alexander
People
Population	1,339Highest	553Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-13.3% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	47.5±12.6Lowest 6% above ME	52.8±4.2Highest 18% above ME
	Alexander and Baileyville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±4.9Highest ME: 18.1%	18.1%±6.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Baileyville and Alexander are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.9%±4.2Highest ME: 22.4%	18.4%±4.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Baileyville and Alexander are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	24.2%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.1%±4.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Alexander and Baileyville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,000±$19kLowest 20% below ME	$93,750±$10kHighest 25% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$112,100±$20kLowest 62% below ME	$193,800±$54kHighest 35% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$873±$143 23% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,039Lowest 66% below ME	$1,781Highest 41% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67%±35.9Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Baileyville and Alexander are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.6%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%	95.3%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 7 yrs older than ME	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	12 minLowest 53% below ME	18 minHighest 26% below ME
Work from home	6.7%±6.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	7.7%±4.4Highest ME: 15.9%
	Alexander and Baileyville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Baileyville Public Schools	Alexander Public Schools
High school in town	Woodland Jr-Sr High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1	—
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.