What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hollis has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.8%).

Jay has the most affordable homes ($169k median).

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	Hollis	Jay
People
Population	4,872Highest	4,657Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.8%Highest ME: +2.6%	-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	43.8±4.2Highest about the ME average	39.5±5.1Lowest 12% below ME
	Hollis and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±4.2Lowest ME: 18.1%	17.5%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Jay and Hollis are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4%	19.3%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4%
	Jay and Hollis are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	29.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%	4.5%±3.2Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Hollis and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,950±$24kHighest 28% above ME	$70,238±$19kLowest 6% below ME
	Hollis and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$338,900±$27kHighest 14% above ME	$168,600±$27kLowest 43% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,372±$293Highest 20% above ME	$759±$141Lowest 33% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,625Highest 14% below ME	$2,245Lowest 26% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.9%±30.2Highest ME: 48.4%	27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Hollis and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest same as ME	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 18% above ME	21 minLowest 13% below ME
Work from home	15.9%±4.7Highest ME: 15.9%	4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#88 of 133 in ME	#86 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 06/MSAD 06	RSU 73
High school in town	None in town	Spruce Mountain High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.7
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.