Compare towns
Pownal vs Gray vs Manchester
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Pownal has the most people working from home (23.9%).
Gray has the youngest population (median age 43.4).
Manchester has the shortest commute (20 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 | Pownal | Gray | Manchester |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,696Lowest |
8,429Highest |
2,424 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.2% ME: +2.6% |
+6.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 47.2±8.4Highest 5% above ME |
43.4±4.5Lowest 3% below ME |
46.9±4.6 5% above ME |
| Pownal and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 24.2%±4.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
19%±4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Pownal and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 23.5%±2.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.6%±4.1 ME: 22.4% |
| Pownal and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 49%Highest ME: 36.2% |
44.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
47.5% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.2%±1.9 ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.7%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Gray and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $104,333±$14kHighest 40% above ME |
$95,236±$8k 27% above ME |
$92,031±$16kLowest 23% above ME |
| Pownal and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $436,800±$32kHighest 47% above ME |
$363,700±$20k 23% above ME |
$299,600±$40kLowest about the ME average |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $981±$636Lowest 14% below ME |
$1,371±$89Highest 20% above ME |
$993±$116 13% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,212Highest 72% above ME |
$3,683 21% above ME |
$3,486Lowest 15% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 78.9%±22.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24 ME: 48.4% |
30.9%±18.6Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Pownal and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
4.5% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 89.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.4%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
85% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1977 same as ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 22% above ME |
29 min 16% above ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 23.9%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
11.9%±5.7Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #10 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 05 | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences | RSU 38 |
| High school in town | None in town | Gray-New Gloucester High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.5 |
— |
| 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.