Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Alfred is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 63rd of 142 graded towns in Maine, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its public schools beat 67% of Maine towns on state tests and graduation. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $82K. A typical home there costs about $473K, 5.1 years of the Portland metro’s $92K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. 13% of the land in Alfred is conserved, above both Maine’s towns (4.7%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Its National Register listings include Sen. John Holmes House and Alfred Historic District. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 79% of U.S. towns.
Where Alfred beats most towns.
Census counts: 900 in 1800, a low of 738 in 1920, 3,073 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1845 and 4 maps from 1891 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Alfred is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alfred, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Alfred.
Alfred gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
18 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Sousa Family Preserve, at 367 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shaker Woods Reserve | 1.1 mi | 37 |
| 2. Sousa Family Preserve | — | 367 |
| 3. Harvest Circle Reserve | — | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by RSU 57/MSAD 57. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 179 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Alfred for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Alfred has added 103 jobs, to 680 in 2023. At 28 minutes, Alfred’s average trip to work is above both the Maine town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes).
| Alfred | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.3% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Alfred since 2007.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Hollis weather station, 12 miles away, records that 81 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Hollis weather station, 12 miles away, records that about 7 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 96% of Maine places with climate records.
Alfred has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Alfred’s July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
82.2% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.4% across Maine.
Typical home values rose 13% in the year to September 2026.
| Alfred | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,035 a month | $1,108 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Alfred beats the Maine average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 32% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Alfred.
| Alfred | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 27% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Alfred | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.5% | 14.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Alfred. Close and well known come first.
31 mi LakeLake Winnipesaukee
28 mi LighthousePortland Head Light
28 mi LandmarkFort Gorges
23 mi LighthouseCape Neddick Light
13 mi MuseumSeashore Trolley Museum
28 mi MuseumStrawbery BankeLake Winnipesaukee: No machine-readable author provided. JohnJHenderson~commonswiki assumed (based o, Public domain · Portland Head Light: Aniarku, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Gorges: Dirk Ingo Franke, CC BY 3.0 · Cape Neddick Light: Stefan Hillebrand, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seashore Trolley Museum: Rene Schwietzke from Jena, Germany, CC BY 2.0 · Strawbery Banke: Ken Gallager (Ken Gallager from en.wikipedia), Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Alfred
About 2 of every 100 Alfred residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
Where Alfred’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Alfred on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Alfred.
Town in Maine, United States
Alfred is a town in York County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,073. Alfred is the seat of York County, and home to part of the Massabesic Experimental Forest. National Register of Historic Places has two listings in the town, the Alfred Historic District, with 48 houses, and the Alfred Shaker Historic District. Villages in the town include Alfred, Alfred Mills, and North Alfred. The town is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Alfred.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Alfred grades B− overall, better than 53% of U.S. towns and #63 of 142 in Maine. It grades B for health and B+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
4 notable people were born here, including James Abbe and Fred J. Allen.
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