What stands out worked out from the figures below

Randolph has the most affordable homes ($174k median).

Alfred has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.8%).

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	Randolph	Alfred
People
Population	1,610Lowest	3,125Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+1.8%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.6±3.4Highest 11% above ME	44.9±5.3Lowest about the ME average
	Randolph and Alfred are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.7%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	17.7%±6.3Highest ME: 18.1%
	Alfred and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.8%±2.9Highest ME: 22.4%	25.4%±5.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Randolph and Alfred are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%	25.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8%	1.9%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Randolph and Alfred are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,574±$16kLowest 11% below ME	$82,321±$18kHighest 10% above ME
	Alfred and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$174,300±$21kLowest 41% below ME	$342,300±$38kHighest 15% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,186±$207Highest 4% above ME	$1,035±$432Lowest 9% below ME
	Randolph and Alfred are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,160Lowest 29% below ME	$3,543Highest 17% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.3%±8.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	82.2%±29.5Highest ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	15.7%Highest ME: 10.7%	9%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	82.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 7% below ME	28 minHighest 13% above ME
Work from home	4.3%±3.6Lowest ME: 15.9%	7.6%±4.3Highest ME: 15.9%
	Alfred and Randolph 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	—	#74 of 133 in ME
School district	—	RSU 57/MSAD 57
High school in town	—	None in town
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.