Compare towns
Gray vs Old Town vs Orono
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 highest household income ($95k).
Old Town has the most people working from home (21.4%).
Orono has the youngest population (median age 21.8).
Orono is a college town. 56.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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 | Old Town | Orono |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,429 |
7,470Lowest |
11,902Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.5% ME: +2.6% |
-5.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 43.4±4.5Highest 3% below ME |
37±1.5 17% below ME |
21.8±0.3Lowest 51% below ME |
| Kids under 18 | 19%±4 ME: 18.1% |
21.8%±4.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
6.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Old Town and Gray 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% |
16.9%±3.5 ME: 22.4% |
11.4%±1.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Gray and Old Town 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% |
36.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
66.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.4%±2.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
13.2%±6.6 ME: 5.8% |
56.1%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $95,236±$8kHighest 27% above ME |
$51,585±$10kLowest 31% below ME |
$61,528±$5k 18% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $363,700±$20kHighest 23% above ME |
$208,100±$26kLowest 30% below ME |
$272,600±$40k 8% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,371±$89Highest 20% above ME |
$989±$100Lowest 13% below ME |
$1,255±$112 10% above ME |
| Gray and Orono 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 |
$3,153Lowest 4% above ME |
$4,830Highest 59% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.4%±24 ME: 48.4% |
50.3%±15Lowest ME: 48.4% |
58.1%±10.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Orono 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% |
21.3% ME: 10.7% |
24.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.3% ME: 74.3% |
46.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1963Lowest 14 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minHighest 16% above ME |
20 min 18% below ME |
15 minLowest 38% below ME |
| Work from home | 12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
21.4%±11.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
11.3%±3.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Old Town 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 | #56 of 133 in ME | #26 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences | RSU 34 | RSU 26 |
| High school in town | Gray-New Gloucester High School | Old Town High School | Orono High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.5 |
12.8Highest |
10.7Lowest |
| 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.