What stands out worked out from the figures below

Anson has the most affordable homes ($118k median).

Jay has the most people working from home (4.8%).

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	Anson	Jay
People
Population	2,331Lowest	4,657Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-4.8%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.7±6.2Highest 4% above ME	39.5±5.1Lowest 12% below ME
	Anson and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1%	17.5%±5.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Anson and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.3%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4%	19.3%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4%
	Jay and Anson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	11.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	29.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2.7Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.5%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Jay and Anson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$52,474±$21kLowest 30% below ME	$70,238±$19kHighest 6% below ME
	Jay and Anson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$117,800±$14kLowest 60% below ME	$168,600±$27kHighest 43% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$928±$62Highest 19% below ME	$759±$141Lowest 33% below ME
	Anson and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,572Lowest 48% below ME	$2,245Highest 26% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20.6%±23.9Lowest ME: 48.4%	27.2%±28.8Highest ME: 48.4%
	Jay and Anson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.3%Lowest ME: 74.3%	82.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 5 yrs older than ME	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 32% above ME	21 minLowest 13% below ME
Work from home	3%±2.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	4.8%±5.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Jay and Anson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#86 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 74/MSAD 74	RSU 73
High school in town	Carrabec High School	Spruce Mountain High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	12.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.