Compare towns

Perham vs Orient 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 most affordable homes ($118k median).
Orient has the most people working from home (81%).
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.

MeasurePerhamOrientWade
People
Population
326Highest
137Lowest
244
Median age
53±12.9Lowest
18% above ME
62±9Highest
38% above ME
53.6±18.5
20% above ME
Orient and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18
19.6%±8.5Highest
ME: 18.1%
16.8%±18.9
ME: 18.1%
16.4%±6.7Lowest
ME: 18.1%
Perham and Orient 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%
46%±10.2Highest
ME: 22.4%
34.8%±10.8
ME: 22.4%
Orient and Wade 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%
25%
ME: 36.2%
33.2%Highest
ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents
2.5%±1.9Highest
ME: 5.8%
0%±11.4Lowest
ME: 5.8%
0.4%±4.6
ME: 5.8%
Perham and Wade 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
—
$41,818±$25kLowest
44% below ME
Perham and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied
$117,600±$9kLowest
60% below ME
$548,600±$183kHighest
85% above ME
$157,100±$109k
47% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly
$1,641Lowest
46% below ME
—
$1,655Highest
45% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent
33.3%±100
ME: 48.4%
100%±100Highest
ME: 48.4%
0%±100Lowest
ME: 48.4%
Orient and Perham 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%
35.8%Highest
ME: 10.7%
4.2%
ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes
92.5%
ME: 74.3%
93.7%Highest
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
1951Lowest
26 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way
25 minLowest
about the ME average
—
34 minHighest
37% above ME
Work from home
8.4%±7.2Lowest
ME: 15.9%
81%±44Highest
ME: 15.9%
10.1%±6.8
ME: 15.9%
On TownTapestry
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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.