What stands out worked out from the figures below

Jay has the most homeowners (82.7%).

Madison has the most people working from home (19.3%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Jay	Madison
People
Population	4,657Lowest	4,782Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-2.7%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	39.5±5.1Lowest 12% below ME	49.6±3.4Highest 11% above ME
Kids under 18	17.5%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%	14.9%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Jay and Madison 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%	25.1%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Madison 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%	21.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8%	4.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Jay and Madison 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	$61,747±$11kLowest 17% below ME
	Jay and Madison 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	$187,600±$40kHighest 37% below ME
	Madison and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$759±$141Lowest 33% below ME	$906±$247Highest 20% below ME
	Madison and Jay 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	$1,983Lowest 35% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4%	30.9%±11.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Madison 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%	15%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Highest ME: 74.3%	54.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME	1964Lowest 13 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 13% below ME	27 minHighest 9% above ME
Work from home	4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	19.3%±10.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Madison 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 59/MSAD 59
High school in town	Spruce Mountain High School	Madison Jr/Sr High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	10.0Lowest
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.