Compare towns
Jay vs Perham
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Jay has the most expensive homes ($169k median).
Perham has the most people working from home (8.4%).
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 | Jay | Perham |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 4,657Highest |
326Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -4.8% ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 39.5±5.1Lowest 12% below ME |
53±12.9Highest 18% above ME |
| Perham 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% |
19.6%±8.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Perham 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% |
24.5%±2.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Perham 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% |
18.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.5%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Jay and Perham 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 |
$62,500±$22kLowest 16% below ME |
| Jay and Perham 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 |
$117,600±$9kLowest 60% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $759±$141 33% below ME |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,245Highest 26% below ME |
$1,641Lowest 46% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
33.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Perham and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 9.8%Highest ME: 10.7% |
2.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
92.5%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 |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
| Work from home | 4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
8.4%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Perham 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 | — |
| High school 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.