What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gray has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.5%).

Searsmont has the most people working from home (16.3%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Gray	Searsmont
People
Population	8,429Highest	1,646Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.5%Highest ME: +2.6%	+0.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	43.4±4.5Lowest 3% below ME	44.5±9.8Highest about the ME average
	Searsmont and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±4Highest ME: 18.1%	13.9%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Gray and Searsmont 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%	21%±1.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Searsmont 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%	31.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.2Lowest ME: 5.8%	10%±6.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Searsmont 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	$87,000±$20kLowest 16% above ME
	Gray and Searsmont 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	$284,000±$31kLowest 4% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,371±$89Highest 20% above ME	$940±$311Lowest 17% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,683Highest 21% above ME	$2,788Lowest 8% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±24Highest ME: 48.4%	41.4%±41.3Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Gray and Searsmont 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%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	90.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 16% above ME	25 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	12.3%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	16.3%±10.1Highest ME: 15.9%
	Searsmont 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	RSU 71
High school in town	Gray-New Gloucester High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.