Compare towns
Clinton vs Somerville vs Fairfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Clinton has the most people working from home (14.8%).
Somerville has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.5%).
Fairfield has the most affordable homes ($164k 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.
| Measure | Clinton | Somerville | Fairfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 3,385 |
837Lowest |
6,519Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.3% ME: +2.6% |
+9.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-3.7%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 50.7±4.3Highest 13% above ME |
33.5±11.3Lowest 25% below ME |
43.1±4 4% below ME |
| Clinton and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 15.1%±6.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
28.8%±7Highest ME: 18.1% |
19.8%±3.9 ME: 18.1% |
| Somerville and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 21.4%±5.4Highest ME: 22.4% |
13.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
17.7%±3.5 ME: 22.4% |
| Clinton and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 17.9% ME: 36.2% |
25.7%Highest ME: 36.2% |
15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.4%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.8%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4%±1.9 ME: 5.8% |
| Clinton and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $71,458±$39kHighest 4% below ME |
$71,250±$15k 5% below ME |
$64,101±$11kLowest 14% below ME |
| Clinton and Somerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $187,000±$28k 37% below ME |
$218,100±$41kHighest 26% below ME |
$164,300±$28kLowest 45% below ME |
| Somerville and Clinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,177±$118 3% above ME |
$1,583±$265Highest 39% above ME |
$1,001±$101Lowest 12% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,910Lowest 37% below ME |
$2,505Highest 17% below ME |
$2,217 27% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 79.3%±26.4Highest ME: 48.4% |
65.7%±58.5 ME: 48.4% |
42.9%±12.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Clinton and Somerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 2.6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
17%Highest ME: 10.7% |
10.9% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
85.8% ME: 74.3% |
78.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1977 same as ME |
1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME |
1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 21% above ME |
27 min 9% above ME |
25 minLowest about the ME average |
| Work from home | 14.8%±11.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
3.9%±2.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
12.1%±5.4 ME: 15.9% |
| Clinton and Fairfield 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 | #116 of 133 in ME | — | #47 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 49/MSAD 49 | RSU 12 | RSU 49/MSAD 49 · Maine Academy of Natural Sciences |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | Lawrence High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 13.3 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.