Fairfield ranks #17 in Maine for affordability
Fairfield is ranked on 39 lists against the 144 Maine towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 2.
Faster-rising prices than 98% of Maine
Not better or worse, just Fairfield’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Fairfield does best on
Each list ranks every ME town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Fairfield marked.
Fairfield lands in the top half on 4 of 25 lists
Each dot is Fairfield’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in ME, the right end is last. Areas where Fairfield does best come first.
Fairfield out-ranks 2 of its 4 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Fairfield lands in every ME ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Millinocket · 1.4 yrs
#17
Cheapest rent#1 Waldoboro · $348/mo
#45
C
Lowest property tax#1 Corinth · $1,381/yr
#31
Rent easiest to afford#1 Biddeford · 37.2%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Houlton · 10.4 min
#75 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Milford · 54%
#109
Most trails#1 Falmouth · 2.9 mi / sq mi
#89
Most walkable#1 South Portland · 70.0 / sq mi
#101 Health
Healthiest#1 Cape Elizabeth · 98 / 100
#127
Lowest obesity#1 Falmouth · 24%
#112
Fewest smokers#1 Cape Elizabeth · 7%
#135
Most active#1 Cape Elizabeth · 14%
#110
Fewest uninsured#1 Cape Elizabeth · 4%
#102
Lowest depression#1 Cape Elizabeth · 23%
#131
Closest to a top hospital#1 Augusta · 1.3 mi
#101 
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Camden · 37.4 per resident
#72
Most library borrowing#1 Camden · 20.5 per resident
#77
Best libraries for kids#1 Camden · 39.3 per child
#77 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Acton · 51.2%
#104
Most new homes#1 Bethel · 19.2 per 1,000
#134
L
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Lincoln · +112.0%
#3
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Sanford · 39.7 per home
The number on the right is Fairfield’s spot. All of Maine’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every ME list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.