What stands out worked out from the figures below

Standish has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.7%).

Fair Haven has the most affordable homes ($177k 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	Standish	Fair Haven
People
Population	10,662Highest	2,724Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.5±2.8Highest 4% above U.S.	39.2±7.6Lowest about the U.S. average
	Standish and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Fair Haven and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.4%±4.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Fair Haven and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	23.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,593±$15kHighest 30% above U.S.	$62,404±$16kLowest 23% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,000±$18kHighest about the U.S. average	$176,500±$14kLowest 47% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$983±$453Highest 30% below U.S.	$830±$116Lowest 41% below U.S.
	Standish and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$3,865Highest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.9%±20.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Standish and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	13.6%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	4.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 133 in ME	#66 of 70 in VT
School district	RSU 06/MSAD 06	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	Bonny Eagle High School	Fair Haven Union Middle and High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Lowest	12.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

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.