Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Fayette’s subject grades is an A− for history; the weakest is a C− for schools. 37% of residents are 65 or older in Fayette, where Maine’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 18%. Only 11 of Maine’s 285 towns score higher on hazard risk. On civic life, just 22 of Maine’s 285 towns do worse. Fayette has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Joseph H. Underwood House and Kent Burying Ground. Fayette has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Fayette beats most towns.
Census counts: 532 in 1800, a low of 328 in 1960, 1,160 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2000 and 3 maps from 1910 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maine), ordered by how far Fayette is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fayette, 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 Fayette.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Fayette since 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Fayette Public Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette Central SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 73 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ME on state tests
At 58.8 years, Fayette’s median age is above both Maine’s towns (44.9 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). 16% of Fayette residents are under 18. Fayette has grown 9.8% since 2020, to 1,277 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Fayette | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 58.8 years | 44.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 16% | 18% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 32% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
About 79 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.5 points). Across Maine, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Fayette | ME | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.8% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.9% | 8.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.6% | 8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.1% | 12% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.2% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.9% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.4% | 15.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 28.9% | 13.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.3% | 8.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.1% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.2% | 30.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.7% | 18.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.6% | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19% | 22.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.3% | 13.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,300, single groups can be off by several points
3.3% of working residents work locally in Fayette. The top destinations are Augusta (24%), Winthrop (5%) and Lewiston (5%). Fayette’s average trip to work is 33 minutes.
| Fayette | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $78,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fayette has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Fayette is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fayette beats the Maine average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. Among 144 Maine towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Fayette.
| Fayette | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 81% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Fayette | ME |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.1% | 14.8% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.8% | 15.5% |
| More adults with arthritis | 36.7% | 32% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Fayette home is worth about $358,000, about the same as a year ago, 13% below the Maine typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
21 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Surry Hill Community Forest, at 330 acres.
| Fayette | Maine towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.7% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Parker Pond Headland Preserve | 3.1 mi | 202 |
| 2. Oak Hill Conservation Area | 1 mi | 131 |
| 3. Surry Hill Community Forest | 0.7 mi | 330 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Fayette
About 3 of every 100 Fayette residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Maine.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
3 places in Fayette on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Maine, United States
Fayette is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,160 as of the 2020 census. A popular recreation spot in central Maine, Fayette is part of the Winthrop Lakes Region.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 5.2 years of the area's median household income ($69,077 across the Augusta-Waterville, ME area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
