Compare towns
Hermon vs Appleton vs Gray
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
Appleton has the most affordable homes ($236k median).
Gray has the most people working from home (12.3%).
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.
| Measure | Hermon | Appleton | Gray |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 6,727 |
1,360Lowest |
8,429Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +19.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2% ME: +2.6% |
+6.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 41.1±4.7Lowest 8% below ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
43.4±4.5 3% below ME |
| Appleton and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21.6%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19%±4 ME: 18.1% |
| Hermon and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.4%±4.7 ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 37.6% ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
44.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.8%±2.1 ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Gray and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $96,629±$22kHighest 29% above ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$95,236±$8k 27% above ME |
| Hermon and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $333,600±$32k 12% above ME |
$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
$363,700±$20kHighest 23% above ME |
| Gray and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,406±$202Highest 23% above ME |
$1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME |
$1,371±$89 20% above ME |
| Hermon and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,761Lowest 9% below ME |
$3,588 18% above ME |
$3,683Highest 21% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 28.2%±19.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.8% ME: 10.7% |
9.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 75.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.4% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 2000Highest 23 yrs newer than ME |
1988 11 yrs newer than ME |
1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minLowest 8% below ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
29 min 16% above ME |
| Work from home | 8.8%±4.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Gray and Appleton 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 | #54 of 133 in ME | — | #10 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Hermon Public Schools | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences |
| High school in town | Hermon High School | None in town | Gray-New Gloucester High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.6Highest |
— | 12.5Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.