What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oakland has the most affordable homes ($236k median).

Belgrade has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.9%).

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	Oakland	Belgrade
People
Population	6,309Highest	3,351Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+1.9%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.2±6.9Lowest 10% below ME	47.3±14.6Highest 6% above ME
	Belgrade and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.8%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1%	22.6%±6.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Oakland and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±3.4Lowest ME: 22.4%	23.9%±6.4Highest ME: 22.4%
	Belgrade and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	49.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.7%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Belgrade and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,813±$16kLowest 4% above ME	$88,338±$13kHighest 18% above ME
	Belgrade and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$236,000±$23kLowest 20% below ME	$312,200±$44kHighest 5% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$939±$74Highest 18% below ME	$857±$108Lowest 25% below ME
	Oakland and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,439Lowest 20% below ME	$2,859Highest 6% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65.7%±14.7Highest ME: 48.4%	17.2%±35.9Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Oakland and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest ME: 10.7%	3.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	93.8%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME	1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 8% above ME	23 minLowest 7% below ME
Work from home	8.4%±4.1Lowest ME: 15.9%	20.4%±8.6Highest ME: 15.9%
	Belgrade 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	#71 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 18	RSU 18
High school in town	Messalonskee High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	14.2	—
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.