What stands out worked out from the figures below

Jay has the highest household income ($70k).

Hodgdon has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.5%).

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	Hodgdon
People
Population	4,657Highest	1,428Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-1.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	39.5±5.1Lowest 12% below ME	42.2±6.2Highest 6% below ME
	Hodgdon 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%	25.4%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1%
	Hodgdon and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.3%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4%	20.7%±2.9Highest ME: 22.4%
	Hodgdon and Jay 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%	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8%	2.7%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Jay and Hodgdon 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	$54,519±$11kLowest 27% below ME
	Jay and Hodgdon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$168,600±$27kHighest 43% below ME	$159,300±$25kLowest 46% below ME
	Jay and Hodgdon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$759±$141Highest 33% below ME	$695±$426Lowest 39% below ME
	Jay and Hodgdon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,245Highest 26% below ME	$1,614Lowest 47% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4%	45.3%±24.9Highest ME: 48.4%
	Hodgdon 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%	12.1%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%	84.8%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME	1979Lowest 2 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 13% below ME	15 minLowest 40% below ME
Work from home	4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	6.9%±2.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Hodgdon 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 70/MSAD 70
High school in town	Spruce Mountain High School	Hodgdon Middle/High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Lowest	13.8Highest
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.