Compare towns
Pittsfield vs Richmond vs Jay
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Pittsfield has the most affordable homes ($164k median).
Richmond has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.3%).
Jay has the shortest commute (21 min average).
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 | Pittsfield | Richmond | Jay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 3,930 |
3,566Lowest |
4,657Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.3%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+3.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-4.8% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40±6.5Highest 11% below ME |
36.9±3.8Lowest 18% below ME |
39.5±5.1 12% below ME |
| Pittsfield and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.5%±5.4 ME: 18.1% |
23%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1% |
17.5%±5.4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Richmond and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 15.2%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
15.6%±3.9 ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Jay and Richmond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 26.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
35.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
29.7% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.8%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±3.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Pittsfield and Richmond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $57,381±$12kLowest 23% below ME |
$65,854±$10k 12% below ME |
$70,238±$19kHighest 6% below ME |
| Jay and Richmond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $164,100±$17kLowest 45% below ME |
$242,700±$27kHighest 18% below ME |
$168,600±$27k 43% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $825±$260 28% below ME |
$1,077±$166Highest 5% below ME |
$759±$141Lowest 33% below ME |
| Richmond and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,965Lowest 35% below ME |
$3,143Highest 4% above ME |
$2,245 26% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 50.5%±21.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
47%±23.9 ME: 48.4% |
27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Pittsfield and Richmond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 15.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
12.4% ME: 10.7% |
9.8%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 76.5% ME: 74.3% |
69.9%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1970Lowest 7 yrs older than ME |
1975 2 yrs older than ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
29 minHighest 19% above ME |
21 minLowest 13% below ME |
| Work from home | 11.6%±5.4 ME: 15.9% |
16.5%±6.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Richmond and Pittsfield 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 | #125 of 133 in ME | — | #86 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 53/MSAD 53 | Richmond Public Schools | RSU 73 |
| High school in town | None in town | Richmond High School | Spruce Mountain High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 9.3Lowest |
12.7Highest |
| 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.