What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).

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	Windham
People
Population	6,309Lowest	16,038Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.2±6.9Lowest 3% above U.S.	41.1±2.9Highest 6% above U.S.
	Windham and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.8%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Windham and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Oakland and Windham 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 U.S.: 35.7%	62.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Oakland and Windham 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% below U.S.	$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$236,000±$23kLowest 29% below U.S.	$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$939±$74Lowest 34% below U.S.	$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,439Lowest 22% below U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65.7%±14.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	52.2%±50.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Oakland and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	8.4%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#23 of 133 in ME	#13 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 18	Windham School District
High school in town	Messalonskee High School	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.2Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.