Madison ranks #21 in Maine for low property taxes
Madison is ranked on 31 lists against the 144 Maine towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 4.
The lists Madison does best on
Each list ranks every ME town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Madison marked.
Madison lands in the top half on 4 of 18 lists
Each dot is Madison’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in ME, the right end is last. Areas where Madison does best come first.
Colder winters than 89% of Maine
Not better or worse, just Madison’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
3 spots from the top 25 for affordability
Lists where Madison sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Madison out-ranks 1 of its 2 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Madison lands in every ME ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Millinocket · 1.4 yrs
#28
Cheapest rent#1 Waldoboro · $348/mo
#29
C
Lowest property tax#1 Corinth · $1,381/yr
#21
Rent easiest to afford#1 Biddeford · 37.2%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Milford · 54%
#122
Most trails#1 Falmouth · 2.9 mi / sq mi
#23
Most walkable#1 South Portland · 70.0 / sq mi
#112 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Acton · 51.2%
#34
Most new homes#1 Bethel · 19.2 per 1,000
#75
L
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Lincoln · +112.0%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Sanford · 39.7 per home
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Houlton · 10.4 min
#87 
Health
Healthiest#1 Cape Elizabeth · 98 / 100
#132
Lowest obesity#1 Falmouth · 24%
#123
Fewest smokers#1 Cape Elizabeth · 7%
#135
Most active#1 Cape Elizabeth · 14%
#127
Fewest uninsured#1 Cape Elizabeth · 4%
#131
Lowest depression#1 Cape Elizabeth · 23%
#101
Closest to a top hospital#1 Augusta · 1.3 mi
#127 People
Most educated#1 Cape Elizabeth · 74.1%
#124
Youngest#1 Orono · 21.8
#108
Oldest#1 Harpswell · 62.0
#37
Most residents 65+#1 Bristol · 42.8%
#43
Most kids#1 Jefferson · 28%
#117 
Climate
Snowiest#1 Caribou · 118 in
#75
Least snow#1 Berwick · 39 in
#65
Mildest winters#1 Kittery · 16.2°
#126
Hottest summers#1 South Berwick · 81.7°
#105
Coolest summers#1 St. George · 74.0°
#35
Longest growing season#1 St. George · 178 days
#99
Wettest#1 Rumford · 52 in
#100 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Camden · 37.4 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Camden · 20.5 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Camden · 39.3 per child
Safety
R Safest#1 Richmond · 1.3The number on the right is Madison’s spot. All of Maine’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every ME list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.