Compare towns
Gray vs Wales
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%).
Wales has the most people working from home (22.2%).
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 | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 8,429Highest |
1,924Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-0.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 43.4±4.5Highest 3% below ME |
35.1±4.2Lowest 22% below ME |
| Gray and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 19%±4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
30.2%±6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 19.3%±4Highest ME: 22.4% |
11%±2.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 44.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
15.6%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.4%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±3.3 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $95,236±$8kHighest 27% above ME |
$77,004±$5kLowest 3% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $363,700±$20kHighest 23% above ME |
$250,400±$28kLowest 16% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,371±$89Highest 20% above ME |
$1,154±$64Lowest about the ME average |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,683Highest 21% above ME |
$2,578Lowest 15% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.4%±24Lowest ME: 48.4% |
83.3%±37.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Wales 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% |
25.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.4%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
91.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minHighest 16% above ME |
28 minLowest 14% above ME |
| Work from home | 12.3%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
22.2%±13.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Wales 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 04 |
| High school in town | Gray-New Gloucester High School | Oak Hill High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.5Highest |
11.9Lowest |
| 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.