Compare towns
Van Buren vs Chapman
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Van Buren has the most people working from home (8.9%).
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 | Van Buren | Chapman |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 1,634Highest |
388Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.6% ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 56.4±3.3Highest 26% above ME |
45.7±11.4Lowest about the ME average |
| Van Buren and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 16.7%±4.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
27.6%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 35.1%±8.7Highest ME: 22.4% |
27.6%±3.8Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Van Buren and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 10.3%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
22.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.2%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Chapman and Van Buren are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $38,851±$4kLowest 48% below ME |
$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $97,900±$29kLowest 67% below ME |
$185,700±$22kHighest 37% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $733±$141 36% below ME |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,335Lowest 56% below ME |
$1,850Highest 39% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.7%±10.8Highest ME: 48.4% |
0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Van Buren and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 24.2%Highest ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 61.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
94.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1956Lowest 21 yrs older than ME |
1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 16 minLowest 34% below ME |
23 minHighest 6% below ME |
| Work from home | 8.9%±6.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Van Buren 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.