What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bingham has the most affordable homes ($103k median).

Chatham has the most expensive homes ($363k 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	Bingham	Chatham
People
Population	660Highest	430Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	56±8.2Highest 44% above U.S.	48.3±8.6Lowest 24% above U.S.
	Bingham and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±6.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.4%±7.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Chatham and Bingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	38.3%±4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	26.5%±10Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bingham and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	38.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±3.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chatham and Bingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$42,708±$22kLowest 47% below U.S.	$66,042±$19kHighest 18% below U.S.
	Chatham and Bingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$103,000±$26kLowest 69% below U.S.	$362,900±$42kHighest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$354±$264 75% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,059Lowest 66% below U.S.	$3,690Highest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±45.9 U.S.: 51.1%	33.3%±100 U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	16.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.	36 minHighest 35% above U.S.
Work from home	8.8%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.3%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bingham and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 83/MSAD 13	—
High school in town	Upper Kennebec Valley Middle/Senior High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.