Compare towns
Gray vs Lisbon vs Oakland
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 expensive homes ($364k median).
Lisbon has the most people working from home (18.1%).
Oakland has the most affordable homes ($236k 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 | Gray | Lisbon | Oakland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,429 |
9,750Highest |
6,309Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.5% ME: +2.6% |
+7.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-0.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 43.4±4.5Highest 3% below ME |
38.4±2.9Lowest 14% below ME |
40.2±6.9 10% below ME |
| Gray and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19%±4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
22.2%±4 ME: 18.1% |
23.8%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Oakland and Lisbon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.3%±4Highest ME: 22.4% |
16.2%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
18.2%±3.4 ME: 22.4% |
| Gray and Oakland 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 ME: 36.2% |
23.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
24.4% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.4%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.3%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.9%±1.8 ME: 5.8% |
| Gray and Oakland 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 27% above ME |
$77,819±$9k 4% above ME |
$77,813±$16kLowest 4% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $363,700±$20kHighest 23% above ME |
$258,300±$26k 13% below ME |
$236,000±$23kLowest 20% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,371±$89Highest 20% above ME |
$979±$286 14% below ME |
$939±$74Lowest 18% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,683Highest 21% above ME |
$3,324 9% above ME |
$2,439Lowest 20% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.4%±24 ME: 48.4% |
43.4%±14.2Lowest ME: 48.4% |
65.7%±14.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Oakland and Gray 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% |
5.3% ME: 10.7% |
8.1%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
74.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
77.6% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1973Lowest 4 yrs older than ME |
1982 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 min 16% above ME |
29 minHighest 17% above ME |
27 minLowest 8% above ME |
| Work from home | 12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
18.1%±9.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
8.4%±4.1Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Lisbon 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 | #60 of 133 in ME | #23 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences | Lisbon Public Schools | RSU 18 |
| High school in town | Gray-New Gloucester High School | Lisbon High School | Messalonskee High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.5Lowest |
15.8Highest |
14.2 |
| 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.