What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hiram has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.7%).

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	Jay	Hiram
People
Population	4,657Highest	1,748Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-0.7%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	39.5±5.1Lowest 12% below ME	41.6±10.2Highest 7% below ME
	Hiram and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±5.4Lowest ME: 18.1%	20.9%±3.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Hiram and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.3%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4%	15.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Jay and Hiram are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	25%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8%	2.6%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Jay and Hiram are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,238±$19kHighest 6% below ME	$62,813±$10kLowest 16% below ME
	Jay and Hiram are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$168,600±$27kLowest 43% below ME	$256,600±$42kHighest 13% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$759±$141Lowest 33% below ME	$1,070±$161Highest 6% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,245Highest 26% below ME	$2,106Lowest 31% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4%	56.4%±24.1Highest ME: 48.4%
	Hiram and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%	12.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%	83.8%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 13% below ME	31 minHighest 28% above ME
Work from home	4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	8.6%±3.4Highest ME: 15.9%
	Hiram and Jay 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	#86 of 133 in ME	—
School district	RSU 73	RSU 55/MSAD 55
High school in town	Spruce Mountain High School	Sacopee Valley High Sch
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	9.9Lowest
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.