What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fairfield has the most people working from home (12.1%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Fairfield	Oakland
People
Population	6,519Highest	6,309Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-0.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	43.1±4Highest 4% below ME	40.2±6.9Lowest 10% below ME
	Fairfield and Oakland 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%	23.8%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1%
	Oakland 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%	18.2%±3.4Highest ME: 22.4%
	Oakland 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%	24.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.9%±1.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Oakland and Fairfield 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	$77,813±$16kHighest 4% above ME
	Oakland 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	$236,000±$23kHighest 20% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,001±$101Highest 12% below ME	$939±$74Lowest 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	$2,217Lowest 27% below ME	$2,439Highest 20% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.9%±12.7Lowest 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%	8.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	77.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	27 minHighest 8% above ME
Work from home	12.1%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9%	8.4%±4.1Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Fairfield and Oakland 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 18
High school in town	Lawrence High School	Messalonskee High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.3Lowest	14.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.