What stands out worked out from the figures below

Madawaska has the highest household income ($57k).

Rumford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.3%).

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	Madawaska	Rumford
People
Population	3,853Lowest	5,942Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+0.3%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	52.6±4.1Highest 17% above ME	50.4±3.4Lowest 13% above ME
	Madawaska and Rumford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1%	18.1%±4.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Madawaska and Rumford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.8%±5Highest ME: 22.4%	27.2%±4.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Madawaska and Rumford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.3%Highest ME: 36.2%	18.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±0.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8%
	Rumford and Madawaska are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,818±$9kHighest 24% below ME	$38,403±$6kLowest 49% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$156,300±$15kHighest 47% below ME	$127,700±$21kLowest 57% below ME
	Madawaska and Rumford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$635±$148Lowest 44% below ME	$803±$81Highest 29% below ME
	Rumford and Madawaska are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,923Lowest 37% below ME	$1,988Highest 35% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±31.2Highest ME: 48.4%	59.1%±11.9Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Madawaska and Rumford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Lowest ME: 10.7%	22.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Highest ME: 74.3%	63.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 9 yrs older than ME	1947Lowest 30 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	12 minLowest 53% below ME	21 minHighest 14% below ME
Work from home	5.7%±3.3Lowest ME: 15.9%	6.6%±5.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Rumford and Madawaska 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	#83 of 133 in ME	#126 of 133 in ME
School district	Madawaska Public Schools	RSU 10
High school in town	Madawaska Middle/High School	Mountain Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	11.4Highest
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.