Compare towns
Fairfield vs Mapleton vs Oakland
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Fairfield has the most affordable homes ($164k median).
Mapleton has the highest household income ($92k).
Oakland has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.2%).
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 | Fairfield | Mapleton | Oakland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 6,519Highest |
1,884Lowest |
6,309 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.7%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-3.2% ME: +2.6% |
-0.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 43.1±4Highest 4% below ME |
41.8±6 7% below ME |
40.2±6.9Lowest 10% below ME |
| Fairfield and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.8%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
22.2%±5.1 ME: 18.1% |
23.8%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Oakland and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 17.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±3.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.2%±3.4 ME: 22.4% |
| Mapleton and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
34.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
24.4% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.9%±1.8 ME: 5.8% |
| Mapleton and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $64,101±$11kLowest 14% below ME |
$91,731±$25kHighest 23% above ME |
$77,813±$16k 4% above ME |
| Mapleton and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $164,300±$28kLowest 45% below ME |
$191,800±$23k 35% below ME |
$236,000±$23kHighest 20% below ME |
| Oakland and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,001±$101Highest 12% below ME |
$610±$277Lowest 46% below ME |
$939±$74 18% below ME |
| Fairfield and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,217 27% below ME |
$1,789Lowest 41% below ME |
$2,439Highest 20% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 42.9%±12.7 ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±10.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
65.7%±14.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Oakland and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 10.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
8.9% ME: 10.7% |
8.1%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 78.6% ME: 74.3% |
79.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
77.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minLowest about the ME average |
28 minHighest 13% above ME |
27 min 8% above ME |
| Work from home | 12.1%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9% |
10.8%±3.8 ME: 15.9% |
8.4%±4.1Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Fairfield and Mapleton 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 | #47 of 133 in ME | — | #23 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 49/MSAD 49 · Maine Academy of Natural Sciences | RSU 79/MSAD 01 | RSU 18 |
| High school in town | Lawrence High School | None in town | Messalonskee High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 13.3Lowest |
— | 14.2Highest |
| 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.