Compare towns
Strong vs Jay vs Farmington
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Strong has the oldest population (median age 47.5).
Jay has the highest household income ($70k).
Farmington has grown the fastest since 2010 (-2.2%).
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 | Strong | Jay | Farmington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,249Lowest |
4,657 |
8,157Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-4.8% ME: +2.6% |
-2.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 47.5±8.9Highest 6% above ME |
39.5±5.1 12% below ME |
38.2±3.3Lowest 15% below ME |
| Strong and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.5%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
17.5%±5.4 ME: 18.1% |
10.6%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Strong and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
20.7%±3.8 ME: 22.4% |
| Strong and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 26.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
29.7% ME: 36.2% |
38.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±3.2 ME: 5.8% |
20.6%±3.7Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $47,557±$10kLowest 36% below ME |
$70,238±$19kHighest 6% below ME |
$54,276±$7k 27% below ME |
| Jay and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $183,900±$29kHighest 38% below ME |
$168,600±$27k 43% below ME |
$166,600±$18kLowest 44% below ME |
| Strong and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $920±$276Highest 19% below ME |
$759±$141Lowest 33% below ME |
$902±$106 21% below ME |
| Strong and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,950Lowest 36% below ME |
$2,245Highest 26% below ME |
$1,958 36% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 20.9%±52.4Lowest ME: 48.4% |
27.2%±28.8 ME: 48.4% |
44.2%±12.1Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Farmington and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 13.9% ME: 10.7% |
9.8%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
15.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.7% ME: 74.3% |
55.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
1975 2 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 26% above ME |
21 minLowest 13% below ME |
27 min 9% above ME |
| Work from home | 18.5%±9.8 ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
20%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Farmington and Strong 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 | — | #86 of 133 in ME | #64 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 58/MSAD 58 | RSU 73 | RSU 09 |
| High school in town | None in town | Spruce Mountain High School | Mt Blue High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.7Lowest |
14.2Highest |
| 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.