Compare towns
Orono vs Gray vs Old Town
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Orono has the youngest population (median age 21.8).
Gray has the highest household income ($95k).
Old Town has the most people working from home (21.4%).
Orono is a college town. 56.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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 | Orono | Gray | Old Town |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 11,902Highest |
8,429 |
7,470Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.5% ME: +2.6% |
-5.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 21.8±0.3Lowest 51% below ME |
43.4±4.5Highest 3% below ME |
37±1.5 17% below ME |
| Kids under 18 | 6.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19%±4 ME: 18.1% |
21.8%±4.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Old Town and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 11.4%±1.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4Highest ME: 22.4% |
16.9%±3.5 ME: 22.4% |
| Gray and Old Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 66.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
44.8% ME: 36.2% |
36.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 56.1%±3.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±2.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
13.2%±6.6 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $61,528±$5k 18% below ME |
$95,236±$8kHighest 27% above ME |
$51,585±$10kLowest 31% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $272,600±$40k 8% below ME |
$363,700±$20kHighest 23% above ME |
$208,100±$26kLowest 30% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,255±$112 10% above ME |
$1,371±$89Highest 20% above ME |
$989±$100Lowest 13% below ME |
| Gray and Orono are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,830Highest 59% above ME |
$3,683 21% above ME |
$3,153Lowest 4% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 58.1%±10.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24 ME: 48.4% |
50.3%±15Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Orono and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 24.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
21.3% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 46.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
59.3% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1977 same as ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1963Lowest 14 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 15 minLowest 38% below ME |
29 minHighest 16% above ME |
20 min 18% below ME |
| Work from home | 11.3%±3.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
21.4%±11.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Old Town and Gray 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 | #26 of 133 in ME | #10 of 133 in ME | #56 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 26 | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences | RSU 34 |
| High school in town | Orono High School | Gray-New Gloucester High School | Old Town High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7Lowest |
12.5 |
12.8Highest |
| 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.