What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

North Berwick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.8%).

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.

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

Measure	Oakland	North Berwick
People
Population	6,309Highest	5,129Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+8.8%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.2±6.9Lowest 10% below ME	41.6±4.7Highest 7% below ME
	North Berwick 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%	21.2%±5.1Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Oakland and North Berwick 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%	20.9%±5Highest ME: 22.4%
	North Berwick 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%	29%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±1.8Highest ME: 5.8%	4.7%±2.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Oakland and North Berwick 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	$101,875±$16kHighest 36% above ME
	North Berwick 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	$428,500±$33kHighest 44% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$939±$74Lowest 18% below ME	$1,105±$116Highest about the ME average
	North Berwick and Oakland 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	$3,735Highest 23% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65.7%±14.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	66.2%±28.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	North Berwick and Oakland 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%	4.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	88.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 8% above ME	31 minHighest 27% above ME
Work from home	8.4%±4.1Lowest ME: 15.9%	15%±5.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	North Berwick 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	#82 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 18	RSU 60/MSAD 60
High school in town	Messalonskee High School	Noble High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.2Highest	12.0Lowest
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.