Compare towns
Mount Desert vs Wayne vs Gray
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Mount Desert has the most expensive homes ($522k median).
Wayne has the most people working from home (26.2%).
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.
| Measure | Mount Desert | Wayne | Gray |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,671 |
1,101Lowest |
8,429Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +4.5% ME: +2.6% |
-5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+6.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 54.9±8.2 23% above ME |
55.6±5.3Highest 24% above ME |
43.4±4.5Lowest 3% below ME |
| Wayne and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.1%±4.7 ME: 18.1% |
13.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19%±4Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Gray and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 29.1%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
29.2%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Wayne and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 64.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
48.8% ME: 36.2% |
44.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.9%±4.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
6.5%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
| Wayne and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $92,813±$9kLowest 24% above ME |
$93,194±$26k 25% above ME |
$95,236±$8kHighest 27% above ME |
| Gray and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME |
$362,800±$29kLowest 22% above ME |
$363,700±$20k 23% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,341±$89 18% above ME |
$983±$554Lowest 14% below ME |
$1,371±$89Highest 20% above ME |
| Gray and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,512 16% above ME |
$3,289Lowest 8% above ME |
$3,683Highest 21% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 33.9%±31.5 ME: 48.4% |
25%±52.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Gray and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.4% ME: 10.7% |
7.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.8% ME: 74.3% |
89.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.4%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 18 minLowest 27% below ME |
30 minHighest 24% above ME |
29 min 16% above ME |
| Work from home | 19.1%±9.8 ME: 15.9% |
26.2%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Wayne and Mount Desert 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 | Mount Desert Public Schools | RSU 38 | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | Gray-New Gloucester High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 12.5 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.