What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hope has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).

Oakland has the most affordable homes ($236k 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.

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

Measure	Hope	Oakland
People
Population	1,748Lowest	6,309Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.5%Highest ME: +2.6%	-0.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	44.6±3.1Highest about the ME average	40.2±6.9Lowest 10% below ME
	Hope and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.3%±5.4Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.8%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1%
	Oakland and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±1.3Highest ME: 22.4%	18.2%±3.4Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Hope and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	24.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.9%±1.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Oakland and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,766±$6kHighest 16% above ME	$77,813±$16kLowest 4% above ME
	Hope and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME	$236,000±$23kLowest 20% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,219±$182Highest 7% above ME	$939±$74Lowest 18% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,842Highest 27% above ME	$2,439Lowest 20% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±38.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	65.7%±14.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Oakland and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	8.1%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	77.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 19% below ME	27 minHighest 8% above ME
Work from home	18.3%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9%	8.4%±4.1Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Hope 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	—	#23 of 133 in ME
School district	Hope Public Schools	RSU 18
High school in town	None in town	Messalonskee High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	14.2
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.