Compare towns
Caribou vs Chapman
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Caribou has the most people working from home (12.5%).
Chapman has the highest household income ($93k).
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 | Caribou | Chapman |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 7,382Highest |
388Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -9.7% ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 51.3±1.7Highest 15% above ME |
45.7±11.4Lowest about the ME average |
| Caribou and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 16.2%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
27.6%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 27.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
27.6%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Chapman and Caribou are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 28.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.4%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Chapman and Caribou are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $53,709±$9kLowest 28% below ME |
$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $134,100±$31kLowest 55% below ME |
$185,700±$22kHighest 37% below ME |
| Chapman and Caribou are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $757±$143 34% below ME |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,680Lowest 45% below ME |
$1,850Highest 39% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 45.3%±10.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Caribou and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 15.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 72.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
94.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1960Lowest 17 yrs older than ME |
1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 15 minLowest 40% below ME |
23 minHighest 6% below ME |
| Work from home | 12.5%±3.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #59 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 39 | — |
| High school in town | Caribou High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.2 |
— |
| 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.