Compare towns
Gray vs Orrington vs Belgrade
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Gray has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.5%).
Orrington has the shortest commute (21 min average).
Belgrade has the most people working from home (20.4%).
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 | Orrington | Belgrade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,429Highest |
3,853 |
3,351Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+2.1% ME: +2.6% |
+1.9%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 43.4±4.5Lowest 3% below ME |
49.5±3.3Highest 10% above ME |
47.3±14.6 6% above ME |
| Orrington and Belgrade 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% |
16.4%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
22.6%±6.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Belgrade 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% |
23.8%±5.1 ME: 22.4% |
23.9%±6.4Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Belgrade and Orrington 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% |
44.3%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
49.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.4%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
4.4%±2.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.7%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Belgrade and Gray 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 |
$94,556±$10k 27% above ME |
$88,338±$13kLowest 18% above ME |
| Gray and Orrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $363,700±$20kHighest 23% above ME |
$309,000±$49kLowest 4% above ME |
$312,200±$44k 5% above ME |
| Gray and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,371±$89Highest 20% above ME |
$1,167±$135 about the ME average |
$857±$108Lowest 25% below ME |
| Gray and Orrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,683Highest 21% above ME |
$2,823Lowest 7% below ME |
$2,859 6% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.4%±24Highest ME: 48.4% |
11.9%±20.6Lowest ME: 48.4% |
17.2%±35.9 ME: 48.4% |
| Gray and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 3.5% ME: 10.7% |
6.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.1%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.4%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
88.5% ME: 74.3% |
93.8%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME |
1985 8 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minHighest 16% above ME |
21 minLowest 13% below ME |
23 min 7% below ME |
| Work from home | 12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
11.4%±5.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
20.4%±8.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Belgrade 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 | #41 of 133 in ME | #71 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences | Orrington Public Schools | RSU 18 |
| High school in town | Gray-New Gloucester High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.5 |
— | — |
| 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.