What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oakland has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.2%).

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

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	Oakland	Jay
People
Population	6,309Highest	4,657Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.2%Highest ME: +2.6%	-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.2±6.9Highest 10% below ME	39.5±5.1Lowest 12% below ME
	Oakland and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.8%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1%	17.5%±5.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Oakland and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±3.4Lowest ME: 22.4%	19.3%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4%
	Jay and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	29.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±1.8Highest ME: 5.8%	4.5%±3.2Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Oakland and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,813±$16kHighest 4% above ME	$70,238±$19kLowest 6% below ME
	Oakland and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$236,000±$23kHighest 20% below ME	$168,600±$27kLowest 43% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$939±$74Highest 18% below ME	$759±$141Lowest 33% below ME
	Oakland and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,439Highest 20% below ME	$2,245Lowest 26% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65.7%±14.7Highest ME: 48.4%	27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Oakland and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	82.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME	1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 8% above ME	21 minLowest 13% below ME
Work from home	8.4%±4.1Highest ME: 15.9%	4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Oakland 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	#23 of 133 in ME	#86 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 18	RSU 73
High school in town	Messalonskee High School	Spruce Mountain High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.2Highest	12.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.