Compare towns
Cambridge vs Jay vs Ripley
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Cambridge has the most expensive homes ($215k median).
Jay has the shortest commute (21 min average).
Ripley has the most people working from home (6.5%).
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 | Cambridge | Jay | Ripley |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 532 |
4,657Highest |
436Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -4.8% ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 38.7±1.1Lowest 14% below ME |
39.5±5.1 12% below ME |
47.7±5.3Highest 6% above ME |
| Ripley and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.2%±8.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
17.5%±5.4 ME: 18.1% |
16.3%±6.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Cambridge and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.6%±8 ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4% |
17.7%±4.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Jay and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 22.1% ME: 36.2% |
29.7%Highest ME: 36.2% |
19.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±6 ME: 5.8% |
| Jay and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $63,194±$39kLowest 15% below ME |
$70,238±$19kHighest 6% below ME |
$64,821±$13k 13% below ME |
| Jay and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $214,900±$61kHighest 28% below ME |
$168,600±$27k 43% below ME |
$144,300±$33kLowest 51% below ME |
| Cambridge and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $759±$141Lowest 33% below ME |
$1,091±$281Highest 4% below ME |
| Ripley and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,574 48% below ME |
$2,245Highest 26% below ME |
$1,270Lowest 58% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
27.2%±28.8Highest ME: 48.4% |
11.5%±73.7 ME: 48.4% |
| Jay and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 14.1%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9.8%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
11.9% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 93.1%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.7% ME: 74.3% |
81%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 41 minHighest 65% above ME |
21 minLowest 13% below ME |
32 min 28% above ME |
| Work from home | 1.7%±1.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±5.9 ME: 15.9% |
6.5%±6.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Ripley and Jay 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 73 | — |
| High school in town | — | Spruce Mountain High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.7 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.