What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

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	Madison	Rumford
People
Population	4,782Lowest	5,942Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+0.3%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	49.6±3.4Lowest 11% above ME	50.4±3.4Highest 13% above ME
	Rumford 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%	18.1%±4.4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Rumford 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%	27.2%±4.5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Rumford and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	18.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Madison and Rumford 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	$38,403±$6kLowest 49% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$187,600±$40kHighest 37% below ME	$127,700±$21kLowest 57% below ME
	Madison and Rumford 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	$803±$81Lowest 29% below ME
	Madison and Rumford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,983Lowest 35% below ME	$1,988Highest 35% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.9%±11.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	59.1%±11.9Highest ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	15%Lowest ME: 10.7%	22.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	63.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Highest 13 yrs older than ME	1947Lowest 30 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 9% above ME	21 minLowest 14% below ME
Work from home	19.3%±10.7Highest ME: 15.9%	6.6%±5.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Madison and Rumford 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	—	#126 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 59/MSAD 59	RSU 10
High school in town	Madison Jr/Sr High School	Mountain Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0Lowest	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.