What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Oakland has the most affordable homes ($236k 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	Topsham	Oakland
People
Population	9,706Highest	6,309Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Highest ME: +2.6%	-0.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	44.7±4Highest about the ME average	40.2±6.9Lowest 10% below ME
	Topsham and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.8%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1%
	Oakland and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.4%±3.2Highest ME: 22.4%	18.2%±3.4Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Topsham and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50%Highest ME: 36.2%	24.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±1.8 ME: 5.8%	4.9%±1.8 ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,028±$10kHighest 22% above ME	$77,813±$16kLowest 4% above ME
	Topsham and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$360,800±$20kHighest 22% above ME	$236,000±$23kLowest 20% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,355±$642Highest 19% above ME	$939±$74Lowest 18% below ME
	Topsham and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,259Highest 40% above ME	$2,439Lowest 20% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.3%±12.9Lowest ME: 48.4%	65.7%±14.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Oakland and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%	8.1%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	77.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 4% below ME	27 minHighest 8% above ME
Work from home	17.2%±4.3Highest ME: 15.9%	8.4%±4.1Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#66 of 133 in ME	#23 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 75/MSAD 75	RSU 18
High school in town	Mt Ararat High School	Messalonskee High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.2Lowest	14.2Highest
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.