Compare towns
Perham vs Mount Chase vs Union vs Wade
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).
Mount Chase has the most people working from home (22.2%).
Union has the most expensive homes ($268k median).
Wade has the most renters (21.7% rent).
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 | Mount Chase | Union | Wade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 326 |
280 |
2,663Highest |
244Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | — | +5.5% ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 53±12.9 18% above ME |
49.9±10.9 11% above ME |
41.6±5.3Lowest 7% below ME |
53.6±18.5Highest 20% above ME |
| Wade and Perham 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% |
22.1%±10.6 ME: 18.1% |
24.9%±4Highest ME: 18.1% |
16.4%±6.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Union and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 24.5%±2.3 ME: 22.4% |
28.9%±6.3 ME: 22.4% |
21.4%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
34.8%±10.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Wade and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 18.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
32.1% ME: 36.2% |
34.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
33.2% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.5%±1.9 ME: 5.8% |
2.9%±5.7 ME: 5.8% |
3.5%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
0.4%±4.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Union and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $62,500±$22k 16% below ME |
$41,711±$7kLowest 44% below ME |
$80,724±$9kHighest 8% above ME |
$41,818±$25k 44% below ME |
| Union and Perham 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 |
$115,700±$15kLowest 61% below ME |
$267,600±$42kHighest 10% below ME |
$157,100±$109k 47% below ME |
| Union and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,281±$1kHighest 12% above ME |
$1,179±$452Lowest 4% above ME |
— |
| Mount Chase and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,641 46% below ME |
$1,548Lowest 49% below ME |
$3,276Highest 8% above ME |
$1,655 45% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 33.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
28.6%±100 ME: 48.4% |
24.6%±19.8 ME: 48.4% |
0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Perham and Mount Chase 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% |
30.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
10.2% ME: 10.7% |
4.2% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 92.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
90% ME: 74.3% |
85.9% ME: 74.3% |
78.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976 1 yr older than ME |
1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME |
1979 2 yrs newer than ME |
1951Lowest 26 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 25 minLowest about the ME average |
27 min 9% above ME |
29 min 20% above ME |
34 minHighest 37% above ME |
| Work from home | 8.4%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
22.2%±12.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
15.9%±5.3 ME: 15.9% |
10.1%±6.8 ME: 15.9% |
| Mount Chase and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| School district | — | — | RSU 40/MSAD 40 | — |
| High school in town | — | — | None in town | — |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.