Compare towns
Fairfield vs Mercer
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).
Mercer has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.8%).
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 | Mercer |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 6,519Highest |
718Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.7%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 43.1±4Lowest 4% below ME |
43.4±4.5Highest 3% below ME |
| Mercer and Fairfield 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% |
20.1%±6.4Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Mercer and Fairfield 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% |
25.9%±5.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Mercer and Fairfield 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% |
34.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
0.7%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Fairfield and Mercer 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 |
$71,107±$2kHighest 5% below ME |
| Mercer and Fairfield 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 |
$238,500±$32kHighest 20% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,001±$101Lowest 12% below ME |
$1,422±$249Highest 25% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,217Highest 27% below ME |
$1,970Lowest 35% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 42.9%±12.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
18.5%±74Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Fairfield and Mercer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 10.9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
13.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 78.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
92.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME |
1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minLowest about the ME average |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
| Work from home | 12.1%±5.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
20.5%±8.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Mercer 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 | #47 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 49/MSAD 49 · Maine Academy of Natural Sciences | — |
| High school in town | Lawrence High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 13.3 |
— |
| 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.