What stands out worked out from the figures below

Houlton has the shortest commute (10 min average).

Madison has the most people working from home (19.3%).

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	Houlton	Madison
People
Population	6,056Highest	4,782Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.1%Highest ME: +2.6%	-2.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	45.4±2.8Lowest about the ME average	49.6±3.4Highest 11% above ME
	Madison and Houlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±4Highest ME: 18.1%	14.9%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Houlton and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.4%±4.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	25.1%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Madison and Houlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.6%Highest ME: 36.2%	21.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.1%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Madison and Houlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,058±$14kLowest 18% below ME	$61,747±$11kHighest 17% below ME
	Madison and Houlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$137,000±$31kLowest 54% below ME	$187,600±$40kHighest 37% below ME
	Madison and Houlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$785±$66Lowest 31% below ME	$906±$247Highest 20% below ME
	Madison and Houlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,707Lowest 44% below ME	$1,983Highest 35% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.7%±12.7Highest ME: 48.4%	30.9%±11.7Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Houlton and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.1%Highest ME: 10.7%	15%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	63.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	54.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 20 yrs older than ME	1964Highest 13 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	10 minLowest 58% below ME	27 minHighest 9% above ME
Work from home	6%±3.1Lowest ME: 15.9%	19.3%±10.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Madison and Houlton 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	#50 of 133 in ME	—
School district	RSU 29/MSAD 29 · Houlton-Region 2	RSU 59/MSAD 59
High school in town	Houlton High School	Madison Jr/Sr High School
Students per teacherat that high school	16.8Highest	10.0Lowest
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.