Compare towns
Steep Falls vs Windham vs Gray
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Steep Falls has the most affordable homes ($243k median).
Windham has the most people working from home (19%).
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 | Steep Falls | Windham | Gray |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,861Lowest |
19,188Highest |
8,429 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.4% ME: +2.6% |
+8.4%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 44.1±6.5Highest about the ME average |
41.8±1.8Lowest 7% below ME |
43.4±4.5 3% below ME |
| Steep Falls and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.9%±9.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
19.2%±2.7 ME: 18.1% |
19%±4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Steep Falls and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 9.7%±5.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
15.9%±2.1 ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Gray and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 14.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
44.2% ME: 36.2% |
44.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.5%±3.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.9%±1.1 ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Gray and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $80,280±$33kLowest 7% above ME |
$107,934±$14kHighest 44% above ME |
$95,236±$8k 27% above ME |
| Windham and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $243,400±$31kLowest 18% below ME |
$388,900±$22kHighest 31% above ME |
$363,700±$20k 23% above ME |
| Windham and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,516±$1kHighest 33% above ME |
$1,232±$332Lowest 8% above ME |
$1,371±$89 20% above ME |
| Steep Falls and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,273Lowest 8% above ME |
$3,938Highest 30% above ME |
$3,683 21% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 66.4%±36.1Highest ME: 48.4% |
32.7%±14.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24 ME: 48.4% |
| Steep Falls and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.2%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
3.5% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 80.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
84.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.4% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1970Lowest 7 yrs older than ME |
1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 25% above ME |
26 minLowest 7% above ME |
29 min 16% above ME |
| Work from home | 4%±4.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
19%±4.1Highest ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
| Windham 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 | — | #95 of 133 in ME | #10 of 133 in ME |
| School district | — | RSU 14 | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences |
| High school in town | — | Windham High School | Gray-New Gloucester High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.1Lowest |
12.5Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.