What stands out worked out from the figures below

Howland has the most kids (22% under 18).

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	Howland	Madison
People
Population	1,367Lowest	4,782Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-11.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-2.7%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	47.6±10.2Lowest 6% above ME	49.6±3.4Highest 11% above ME
	Madison and Howland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22%±5.3Highest ME: 18.1%	14.9%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Howland and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.8%±4.1Lowest ME: 22.4%	25.1%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Madison and Howland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	12%Lowest ME: 36.2%	21.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.1%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Madison and Howland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,297±$21kLowest 34% below ME	$61,747±$11kHighest 17% below ME
	Madison and Howland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$150,100±$52kLowest 49% below ME	$187,600±$40kHighest 37% below ME
	Madison and Howland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$916±$246Highest 20% below ME	$906±$247Lowest 20% below ME
	Howland and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,546Lowest 49% below ME	$1,983Highest 35% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29%±18.2Lowest ME: 48.4%	30.9%±11.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Madison and Howland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	25.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	15%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	54.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 7 yrs older than ME	1964Lowest 13 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 26% above ME	27 minLowest 9% above ME
Work from home	0%±3Lowest ME: 15.9%	19.3%±10.7Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	RSU 31/MSAD 31	RSU 59/MSAD 59
High school in town	Penobscot Valley High School	Madison Jr/Sr High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Lowest	10.0Highest
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.