What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chapman has the most affordable homes ($186k median).

Topsham has the most people working from home (17.2%).

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.

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

Measure	Chapman	Topsham
People
Population	388Lowest	9,706Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.8% ME: +2.6%
Median age	45.7±11.4Highest about the ME average	44.7±4Lowest about the ME average
	Chapman and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.6%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1%	19.9%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Chapman and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.6%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%	24.4%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Chapman and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%	50%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%	4.9%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Chapman and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME	$91,028±$10kLowest 22% above ME
	Chapman and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$185,700±$22kLowest 37% below ME	$360,800±$20kHighest 22% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,355±$642 19% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,850Lowest 39% below ME	$4,259Highest 40% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	40.3%±12.9Highest ME: 48.4%
	Topsham and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4% ME: 10.7%	6.4% ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	78.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME	1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 6% below ME	24 minHighest 4% below ME
Work from home	4.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	17.2%±4.3Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#66 of 133 in ME
School district	—	RSU 75/MSAD 75
High school in town	—	Mt Ararat High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.2
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.