Compare towns
Gray vs Orrington vs Sidney
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).
Orrington has the oldest population (median age 49.5).
Sidney has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.4%).
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 | Sidney |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,429Highest |
3,853Lowest |
4,790 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.5% ME: +2.6% |
+2.1%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+10.4%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 43.4±4.5 3% below ME |
49.5±3.3Highest 10% above ME |
43±5.5Lowest 4% below ME |
| Orrington 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% |
16.4%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
23.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Sidney and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.3%±4 ME: 22.4% |
23.8%±5.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Orrington and Gray 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% |
44.3% ME: 36.2% |
33.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.4%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.4%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
1.5%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Gray and Orrington 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 |
$83,488±$10kLowest 12% 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 |
$336,200±$34k 13% above ME |
| Gray and Sidney 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±$135Lowest about the ME average |
$1,340±$304 18% above ME |
| Gray and Sidney 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 |
$2,823 7% below ME |
$2,474Lowest 19% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.4%±24Highest ME: 48.4% |
11.9%±20.6Lowest ME: 48.4% |
16.4%±17.5 ME: 48.4% |
| Gray and Sidney 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% |
6.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.4%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
88.5% ME: 74.3% |
89.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1989 12 yrs newer than ME |
1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minHighest 16% above ME |
21 minLowest 13% below ME |
25 min about the ME average |
| Work from home | 12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
11.4%±5.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
14.3%±5.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Sidney 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 | #15 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.