Compare towns
Gray vs Bar Harbor vs Hermon
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Gray has the most homeowners (82.4%).
Bar Harbor has the most people working from home (21.9%).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
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 | Gray | Bar Harbor | Hermon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,429Highest |
5,244Lowest |
6,727 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.5% ME: +2.6% |
-2.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 43.4±4.5 3% below ME |
49.2±5.9Highest 10% above ME |
41.1±4.7Lowest 8% below ME |
| Bar Harbor and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19%±4 ME: 18.1% |
11.9%±3.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
21.6%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Hermon and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
25.1%±5Highest ME: 22.4% |
20.4%±4.7 ME: 22.4% |
| Bar Harbor and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 44.8% ME: 36.2% |
68.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
37.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.4%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
10.8%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.8%±2.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $95,236±$8k 27% above ME |
$77,180±$26kLowest 3% above ME |
$96,629±$22kHighest 29% above ME |
| Hermon and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $363,700±$20k 23% above ME |
$538,400±$94kHighest 82% above ME |
$333,600±$32kLowest 12% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,371±$89 20% above ME |
$1,106±$351Lowest about the ME average |
$1,406±$202Highest 23% above ME |
| Hermon and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,683 21% above ME |
$4,279Highest 41% above ME |
$2,761Lowest 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.4%±24Highest ME: 48.4% |
41.6%±17.6 ME: 48.4% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Gray and Bar Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
10.1%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.8% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
74.5%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
75.2% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1985 8 yrs newer than ME |
2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minHighest 16% above ME |
20 minLowest 20% below ME |
23 min 8% below ME |
| Work from home | 12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
21.9%±8.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
8.8%±4.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Bar Harbor and Gray 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 | #10 of 133 in ME | #2 of 133 in ME | #54 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences | Bar Harbor Public Schools · Mt Desert CSD | Hermon Public Schools |
| High school in town | Gray-New Gloucester High School | Mt Desert Island High School | Hermon High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.5 |
8.2Lowest |
14.6Highest |
| 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.