Compare towns
Perham vs Sumner 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 affordable homes ($118k median).
Sumner has the most people working from home (18.5%).
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 | Sumner | Chapman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 326Lowest |
845Highest |
388 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | +5.9% ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 53±12.9 18% above ME |
56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME |
45.7±11.4Lowest about the ME average |
| Sumner 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% |
17.2%±6.9Lowest 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%±2.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
29.7%±5.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
27.6%±3.8 ME: 22.4% |
| Sumner and Chapman 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% |
15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
22.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.5%±1.9 ME: 5.8% |
1.4%±1.4Lowest 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±$22k 16% below ME |
$57,750±$19kLowest 23% below ME |
$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME |
| Chapman 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±$9kLowest 60% below ME |
$150,000±$73k 49% below ME |
$185,700±$22kHighest 37% below ME |
| Chapman and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,641Lowest 46% below ME |
$2,167Highest 29% below ME |
$1,850 39% 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% |
| Sumner 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% |
5.8% ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 92.5% ME: 74.3% |
91.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
94.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 25 min about the ME average |
42 minHighest 72% above ME |
23 minLowest 6% below ME |
| Work from home | 8.4%±7.2 ME: 15.9% |
18.5%±8Highest ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Sumner and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | — | RSU 10 | — |
| High school in town | — | None in town | — |
| 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.