Compare towns
Perham vs Madison vs Burlington
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Perham has the shortest commute (25 min average).
Madison has the most people working from home (19.3%).
Burlington has the most kids (24.1% under 18).
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 | Perham | Madison | Burlington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 326Lowest |
4,782Highest |
328 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -2.7% ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 53±12.9Highest 18% above ME |
49.6±3.4Lowest 11% above ME |
52.5±22.8 17% above ME |
| Perham and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.6%±8.5 ME: 18.1% |
14.9%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1% |
24.1%±9.2Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Burlington and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 24.5%±2.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
25.1%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
24.7%±7.2 ME: 22.4% |
| Madison and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 18.7% ME: 36.2% |
21.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
10.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.5%±1.9 ME: 5.8% |
4.1%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.2%±3.8Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Madison and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $62,500±$22kHighest 16% below ME |
$61,747±$11k 17% below ME |
$48,750±$14kLowest 35% below ME |
| Perham and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $117,600±$9k 60% below ME |
$187,600±$40kHighest 37% below ME |
$99,700±$21kLowest 66% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $906±$247 20% below ME |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,641 46% below ME |
$1,983Highest 35% below ME |
$582Lowest 81% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 33.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
30.9%±11.7Lowest ME: 48.4% |
— |
| Perham and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 2.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
15% ME: 10.7% |
19.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 92.5% ME: 74.3% |
54.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
93.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976 1 yr older than ME |
1964Lowest 13 yrs older than ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minLowest about the ME average |
27 min 9% above ME |
39 minHighest 60% above ME |
| Work from home | 8.4%±7.2 ME: 15.9% |
19.3%±10.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
5.1%±6.1Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Madison and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| 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 | 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.