Compare towns
Deerfield vs Gray vs Montague
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Deerfield has the most people working from home (17.5%).
Gray has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.5%).
Montague has the most affordable homes ($282k 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 | Deerfield | Gray | Montague |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 5,158Lowest |
8,429 |
8,482Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+6.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+1.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 51.8±3.6Highest 33% above U.S. |
43.4±4.5Lowest 12% above U.S. |
44.3±3.1 14% above U.S. |
| Kids under 18 | 13.2%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22% |
19%±4Highest U.S.: 22% |
19%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Age 65+ | 22.9%±4.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
19.3%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
23.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Montague and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 44.4% U.S.: 35.7% |
44.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
37.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.9%±3.4Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.4%±2.2 U.S.: 6.4% |
3.7%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Deerfield and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $106,136±$14kHighest 31% above U.S. |
$95,236±$8k 18% above U.S. |
$70,510±$12kLowest 13% below U.S. |
| Deerfield and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $414,900±$37kHighest 25% above U.S. |
$363,700±$20k 9% above U.S. |
$282,100±$17kLowest 15% below U.S. |
| Deerfield and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,334±$318 6% below U.S. |
$1,371±$89Highest about the U.S. average |
$1,207±$115Lowest 15% below U.S. |
| Gray and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,824Highest 87% above U.S. |
$3,683Lowest 18% above U.S. |
$3,922 26% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 26.1%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
56.4%±24 U.S.: 51.1% |
64.6%±8.6Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Montague and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.8% U.S.: 12.5% |
3.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 78.4% U.S.: 65.2% |
82.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
62.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1972 8 yrs older than U.S. |
1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S. |
1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 18 minLowest 33% below U.S. |
29 minHighest 8% above U.S. |
21 min 20% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 17.5%±6.2Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
12.3%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
14.9%±4.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Deerfield and Montague 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 | #156 of 282 in MA | #10 of 133 in ME | #265 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Deerfield · Frontier | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences | Franklin County Regional Vocational Technical · Gill-Montague |
| High school in town | Frontier Regional | Gray-New Gloucester High School | Franklin County Technical |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.1Lowest |
12.5Highest |
11.7 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
U.S. 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.