What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sullivan has the most people working from home (12.6%).

Jay has the most affordable homes ($169k median).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Sullivan	Jay
People
Population	1,246Lowest	4,657Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.4%Highest ME: +2.6%	-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	47.1±15Highest 5% above ME	39.5±5.1Lowest 12% below ME
	Sullivan and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1%	17.5%±5.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Sullivan and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.5%±2.9Highest ME: 22.4%	19.3%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Sullivan and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26%Lowest ME: 36.2%	29.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Highest ME: 5.8%	4.5%±3.2Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Sullivan and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,643±$14kLowest 20% below ME	$70,238±$19kHighest 6% below ME
	Jay and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$222,000±$33kHighest 25% below ME	$168,600±$27kLowest 43% below ME
	Sullivan and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$883±$114Highest 22% below ME	$759±$141Lowest 33% below ME
	Sullivan and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,228Lowest 27% below ME	$2,245Highest 26% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.9%±23.6Highest ME: 48.4%	27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Sullivan and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.6%Highest ME: 10.7%	9.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 4 yrs newer than ME	1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 7% above ME	21 minLowest 13% below ME
Work from home	12.6%±7.9Highest ME: 15.9%	4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Sullivan and Jay 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
School district	RSU 24	RSU 73
High school in town	Sumner Memorial High School	Spruce Mountain High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	12.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.