Compare towns
Stow vs Chapman
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Stow has the most people working from home (17.7%).
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 | Stow | Chapman |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 535Highest |
388Lowest |
| Median age | 57±10.5Highest 27% above ME |
45.7±11.4Lowest about the ME average |
| Stow and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 15.7%±5.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
27.6%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 37.9%±17.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
27.6%±3.8Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Stow and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 33.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Chapman and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $42,204±$22kLowest 44% below ME |
$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $326,400±$42kHighest 10% above ME |
$185,700±$22kLowest 37% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,304Highest 9% above ME |
$1,850Lowest 39% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 20%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Stow and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 8.1%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 96.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
94.5%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1998Highest 21 yrs newer than ME |
1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 51 minHighest 109% above ME |
23 minLowest 6% below ME |
| Work from home | 17.7%±12Highest ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Stow 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 |
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.

