Compare towns
New Gloucester vs Wayne vs Poland
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
New Gloucester has the highest household income ($109k).
Wayne has the oldest population (median age 55.6).
Poland has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.9%).
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 | New Gloucester | Wayne | Poland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 5,766 |
1,101Lowest |
5,954Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2.4% ME: +2.6% |
-5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+9.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.1±5.5Lowest 10% below ME |
55.6±5.3Highest 24% above ME |
44.2±9.4 about the ME average |
| Wayne and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 24.2%±5.8Highest ME: 18.1% |
13.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
21.4%±5.6 ME: 18.1% |
| New Gloucester and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 15.4%±4.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
29.2%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
17.8%±4.3 ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 30.7% ME: 36.2% |
48.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
23.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±2.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
6.5%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.2%±2.8 ME: 5.8% |
| Wayne and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $108,797±$12kHighest 46% above ME |
$93,194±$26k 25% above ME |
$85,557±$23kLowest 14% above ME |
| New Gloucester and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $357,100±$29k 20% above ME |
$362,800±$29kHighest 22% above ME |
$283,600±$44kLowest 4% below ME |
| Wayne and New Gloucester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,150±$249 about the ME average |
$983±$554Lowest 14% below ME |
$1,198±$128Highest 5% above ME |
| Poland and New Gloucester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,417Highest 13% above ME |
$3,289 8% above ME |
$2,774Lowest 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 24.7%±12Lowest ME: 48.4% |
25%±52.1 ME: 48.4% |
61.6%±30.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Poland and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
7.9% ME: 10.7% |
16.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.9% ME: 74.3% |
89.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
81.9%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME |
1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME |
1988 11 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minLowest 9% above ME |
30 minHighest 24% above ME |
28 min 13% above ME |
| Work from home | 14.2%±6.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
26.2%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
21.9%±10.6 ME: 15.9% |
| Wayne and Poland 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 | #65 of 133 in ME | — | #81 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 15/MSAD 15 | RSU 38 | RSU 16 |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | Poland Regional H S |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 12.2 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.