What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Readfield has the most people working from home (24.3%).

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	Readfield
People
Population	4,657Highest	2,651Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	0%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	39.5±5.1Lowest 12% below ME	48.1±7.6Highest 7% above ME
	Readfield 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%	18.7%±3.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Readfield 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%	22.3%±4.5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Readfield 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%Lowest ME: 36.2%	48.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8%	3.3%±2Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Jay and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,238±$19kLowest 6% below ME	$86,504±$8kHighest 16% above ME
	Readfield and Jay 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	$326,400±$20kHighest 10% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$759±$141Lowest 33% below ME	$1,125±$844Highest about the ME average
	Readfield and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,245Lowest 26% below ME	$3,392Highest 12% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4%	31.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Readfield 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%	5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.9%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 minLowest 13% below ME	30 minHighest 20% above ME
Work from home	4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	24.3%±14.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Readfield 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	#20 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 73	RSU 38
High school in town	Spruce Mountain High School	Maranacook Community High Sch
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	11.5Lowest
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.