What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mars Hill has the most affordable homes ($164k median).

Gray has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.5%).

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	Mars Hill	Gray
People
Population	1,398Lowest	8,429Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.9%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+6.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	43.4±3 3% below ME	43.4±4.5 3% below ME
Kids under 18	22.9%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%	19%±4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Mars Hill and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.5%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4%	19.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Mars Hill and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26%Lowest ME: 36.2%	44.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±3.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.4%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Gray and Mars Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,273±$9kLowest 13% below ME	$95,236±$8kHighest 27% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$163,600±$23kLowest 45% below ME	$363,700±$20kHighest 23% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$488±$96Lowest 57% below ME	$1,371±$89Highest 20% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,843Lowest 39% below ME	$3,683Highest 21% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.6%±7.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	56.4%±24Highest ME: 48.4%
	Gray and Mars Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.6%Highest ME: 10.7%	3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	82.4%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 10 yrs older than ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 14% below ME	29 minHighest 16% above ME
Work from home	6.9%±6.6Lowest ME: 15.9%	12.3%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Gray and Mars Hill 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	—	#10 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 42/MSAD 42	RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences
High school in town	Central Aroostook Jr-Sr H S	Gray-New Gloucester High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.0Lowest	12.5Highest
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.