Compare towns
Wade vs Appleton vs Perham vs Mount Chase
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Wade has the most renters (21.7% rent).
Appleton has the most expensive homes ($236k median).
Perham has the highest household income ($63k).
Mount Chase has the most people working from home (22.2%).
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 | Wade | Appleton | Perham | Mount Chase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 244Lowest |
1,360Highest |
326 |
280 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | +7.2% ME: +2.6% |
— | — |
| Median age | 53.6±18.5Highest 20% above ME |
49.2±7.4Lowest 10% above ME |
53±12.9 18% above ME |
49.9±10.9 11% above ME |
| Wade and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 16.4%±6.7 ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19.6%±8.5 ME: 18.1% |
22.1%±10.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Mount Chase and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 34.8%±10.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3 ME: 22.4% |
24.5%±2.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
28.9%±6.3 ME: 22.4% |
| Wade and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 33.2% ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
18.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
32.1% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 0.4%±4.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.5%±1.9 ME: 5.8% |
2.9%±5.7 ME: 5.8% |
| Appleton and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $41,818±$25k 44% below ME |
$53,618±$19k 28% below ME |
$62,500±$22kHighest 16% below ME |
$41,711±$7kLowest 44% below ME |
| Perham and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $157,100±$109k 47% below ME |
$235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME |
$117,600±$9k 60% below ME |
$115,700±$15kLowest 61% below ME |
| Appleton and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,104±$82Lowest 3% below ME |
— | $1,281±$1kHighest 12% above ME |
| Mount Chase and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,655 45% below ME |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$1,641 46% below ME |
$1,548Lowest 49% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
33.3%±100 ME: 48.4% |
28.6%±100 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 4.2% ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
2.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
30.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 78.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.6% ME: 74.3% |
92.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
90% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1951Lowest 26 yrs older than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1976 1 yr older than ME |
1986 9 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 34 minHighest 37% above ME |
30 min 23% above ME |
25 minLowest about the ME average |
27 min 9% above ME |
| Work from home | 10.1%±6.8 ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
8.4%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9% |
22.2%±12.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Mount Chase and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| School district | — | Appleton Public Schools | — | — |
| High school in town | — | None in town | — | — |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.