Compare towns
Brunswick vs Dayton vs Gray
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Brunswick has the most people working from home (19.8%).
Dayton has the highest household income ($114k).
Gray has the most affordable homes ($364k 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.
| Measure | Brunswick | Dayton | Gray |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 22,336Highest |
2,313Lowest |
8,429 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.3% ME: +2.6% |
+8.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40±2.8Lowest 11% below ME |
42.1±5.5 6% below ME |
43.4±4.5Highest 3% below ME |
| Gray and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.2%±2.2Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.4%±4Highest ME: 18.1% |
19%±4 ME: 18.1% |
| Dayton and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22.9%±2.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
14.3%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4 ME: 22.4% |
| Brunswick and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 53.9%Highest ME: 36.2% |
27.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
44.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 13.3%±1.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.1%±2.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $74,952±$6kLowest about the ME average |
$113,750±$24kHighest 52% above ME |
$95,236±$8k 27% above ME |
| Dayton and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $376,300±$15k 27% above ME |
$398,200±$34kHighest 34% above ME |
$363,700±$20kLowest 23% above ME |
| Dayton and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,469±$99Highest 29% above ME |
$1,215±$867Lowest 7% above ME |
$1,371±$89 20% above ME |
| Brunswick and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,756Highest 57% above ME |
$3,872 28% above ME |
$3,683Lowest 21% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.4%±8.8Highest ME: 48.4% |
38%±19.6Lowest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Below poverty line | 7.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.7% ME: 10.7% |
3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 71.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.4% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME |
1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minLowest 5% below ME |
31 minHighest 26% above ME |
29 min 16% above ME |
| Work from home | 19.8%±3.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
16.3%±3.9 ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Brunswick and Dayton 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 | #30 of 133 in ME | — | #10 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Brunswick Public Schools · Brunswick-Region 10 | Dayton Public Schools | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences |
| High school in town | Brunswick High School | None in town | Gray-New Gloucester High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.9Lowest |
— | 12.5Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.