What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gray has the shortest commute (29 min average).

Strafford has the most people working from home (15.9%).

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	Strafford
People
Population	8,429Highest	4,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.4±4.5Lowest 12% above U.S.	46.3±2.1Highest 19% above U.S.
	Strafford and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±4Highest U.S.: 22%	17.6%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Gray and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.3%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Strafford 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 U.S.: 35.7%	40.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.2 U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±2.6 U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,236±$8kLowest 18% above U.S.	$122,105±$22kHighest 51% above U.S.
	Strafford and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$363,700±$20kLowest 9% above U.S.	$427,900±$29kHighest 29% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,371±$89Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,635±$246Highest 16% above U.S.
	Strafford and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,683Lowest 18% above U.S.	$6,086Highest 95% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±24Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	76.3%±30.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Strafford 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 U.S.: 12.5%	8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Lowest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 8% above U.S.	36 minHighest 36% above U.S.
Work from home	12.3%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.9%±5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Strafford 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	#73 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences	Strafford School District
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

U.S. 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.