Compare towns
Temple vs Jefferson vs Wales
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Temple has the most affordable homes ($210k median).
Jefferson has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.1%).
Wales has the most people working from home (22.2%).
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 | Temple | Jefferson | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 824Lowest |
2,647Highest |
1,924 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.2% ME: +2.6% |
+5.1%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-0.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 34±14Lowest 24% below ME |
38.1±4.9Highest 15% below ME |
35.1±4.2 22% below ME |
| Jefferson and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 32.8%±7.2Highest ME: 18.1% |
28%±5.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
30.2%±6 ME: 18.1% |
| Temple and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 15%±6.3 ME: 22.4% |
18.7%±3.5Highest ME: 22.4% |
11%±2.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Jefferson and Temple are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 13.2%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
27.6%Highest ME: 36.2% |
15.6% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.5%±2.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.6%±2.5 ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±3.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Wales and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $56,087±$2kLowest 25% below ME |
$85,078±$17kHighest 14% above ME |
$77,004±$5k 3% above ME |
| Jefferson and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $210,200±$79kLowest 29% below ME |
$311,600±$35kHighest 5% above ME |
$250,400±$28k 16% below ME |
| Jefferson and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,458±$565Highest 28% above ME |
$1,120±$130Lowest about the ME average |
$1,154±$64 about the ME average |
| Temple and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,367Lowest 22% below ME |
$2,587Highest 15% below ME |
$2,578 15% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 73.3%±70.5 ME: 48.4% |
29.8%±25.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
83.3%±37.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Wales and Temple are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 10.2% ME: 10.7% |
3.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
25.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 92.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
83.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
91.4% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1966Lowest 11 yrs older than ME |
1987 10 yrs newer than ME |
1989Highest 12 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 34 minHighest 37% above ME |
30 min 23% above ME |
28 minLowest 14% above ME |
| Work from home | 7.5%±8.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
8.9%±3.6 ME: 15.9% |
22.2%±13.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Wales and Jefferson 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 | — | #45 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | — | Jefferson Public Schools | RSU 04 |
| High school in town | — | None in town | Oak Hill High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 11.9 |
| 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.