Compare towns
Gray vs Ira vs Sandgate
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Gray has the most kids (19% under 18).
Sandgate has the most people working from home (34.6%).
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 | Ira | Sandgate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,429Highest |
381Lowest |
435 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.5% U.S.: +7.4% |
— | — |
| Median age | 43.4±4.5Lowest 12% above U.S. |
54.1±5.5 39% above U.S. |
55.7±5.4Highest 43% above U.S. |
| Sandgate and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19%±4Highest U.S.: 22% |
10.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22% |
13.1%±7.5 U.S.: 22% |
| Gray and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.3%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
28.9%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
26%±11.3 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Ira and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 44.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
37.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
37.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.4%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.4%±3.5 U.S.: 6.4% |
2.3%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Gray and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $95,236±$8kHighest 18% above U.S. |
$71,827±$5k 11% below U.S. |
$69,167±$19kLowest 14% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $363,700±$20kHighest 9% above U.S. |
$272,900±$18k 18% below U.S. |
$193,800±$31kLowest 42% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,371±$89Highest about the U.S. average |
$942±$52Lowest 33% below U.S. |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,683 18% above U.S. |
$4,146Highest 33% above U.S. |
$2,778Lowest 11% below U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.4%±24Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
36.4%±100 U.S.: 51.1% |
0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Gray and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 3.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
9.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
90.7% U.S.: 65.2% |
94.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S. |
1975 5 yrs older than U.S. |
1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minHighest 8% above U.S. |
28 min 6% above U.S. |
27 minLowest 3% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 12.3%±3.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
2.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
34.6%±32.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Sandgate 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 | — | — |
| School district | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences | — | — |
| High school in town | Gray-New Gloucester High School | — | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.5 |
— | — |
| 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.