What stands out worked out from the figures below

Belgrade has the most affordable homes ($312k median).

Lee has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.4%).

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	Belgrade	Lee
People
Population	3,351Lowest	4,576Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.3±14.6Highest 22% above U.S.	42.9±1.9Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Belgrade and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.6%±6.9Highest U.S.: 22%	21.9%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Belgrade and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.9%±6.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.6%±6.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Belgrade and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Belgrade and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,338±$13kLowest 9% above U.S.	$131,579±$54kHighest 63% above U.S.
	Lee and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$312,200±$44kLowest 6% below U.S.	$480,600±$61kHighest 44% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$857±$108 39% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,859Lowest 8% below U.S.	$9,661Highest 210% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	17.2%±35.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	38.3%±53.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lee and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Lowest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.	28 minHighest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	20.4%±8.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27.6%±8.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Lee and Belgrade 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	#71 of 133 in ME	#3 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 18	Oyster River Coop School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	10 photos →

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.