Compare towns
Perham vs Starks vs Chapman
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 people working from home (8.4%).
Starks has the most renters (10% rent).
Chapman has the highest household income ($93k).
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 | Starks | Chapman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 326Lowest |
556Highest |
388 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -7.3% ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 53±12.9Highest 18% above ME |
46.7±9.4 4% above ME |
45.7±11.4Lowest about the ME average |
| Perham and Starks 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% |
16.4%±4.4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
27.6%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Chapman and Perham 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% |
20.3%±2.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
27.6%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Chapman and Perham 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% |
21% ME: 36.2% |
22.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.5%±1.9 ME: 5.8% |
0.9%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Chapman 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±$22kLowest 16% below ME |
$63,500±$8k 15% below ME |
$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $117,600±$9kLowest 60% below ME |
$148,500±$27k 50% below ME |
$185,700±$22kHighest 37% below ME |
| Chapman and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,063±$301 7% below ME |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,641 46% below ME |
$1,348Lowest 56% below ME |
$1,850Highest 39% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 33.3%±100 ME: 48.4% |
45.5%±90.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Starks 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% |
19.2%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 92.5% ME: 74.3% |
90%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
94.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1982 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 min about the ME average |
33 minHighest 33% above ME |
23 minLowest 6% below ME |
| Work from home | 8.4%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
3.3%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
| Perham and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| 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.