Compare towns
Madison vs Orient
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Madison has the most affordable homes ($188k median).
Orient has the most people working from home (81%).
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.
| Measure | Madison | Orient |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 4,782Highest |
137Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.7% ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 49.6±3.4Lowest 11% above ME |
62±9Highest 38% above ME |
| Orient and Madison 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% |
16.8%±18.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Orient and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Age 65+ | 25.1%±5.8Lowest ME: 22.4% |
46%±10.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 21.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
25%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8% |
0%±11.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Madison and Orient are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $61,747±$11k 17% below ME |
— |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $187,600±$40kLowest 37% below ME |
$548,600±$183kHighest 85% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $906±$247 20% below ME |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,983 35% below ME |
— |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 30.9%±11.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
100%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Orient 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% |
35.8%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 54.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
93.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1964Lowest 13 yrs older than ME |
1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 27 min 9% above ME |
— |
| Work from home | 19.3%±10.7Lowest ME: 15.9% |
81%±44Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| School district | RSU 59/MSAD 59 | — |
| High school in town | Madison Jr/Sr High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.0 |
— |
| 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.