What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Houlton has the shortest commute (10 min average).

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