What stands out worked out from the figures below

Burnham has the most people working from home (17%).

Perham has the most affordable homes ($118k median).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Burnham	Perham
People
Population	953Highest	326Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.8% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	48.4±3.2Lowest 8% above ME	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME
	Perham and Burnham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.8%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	19.6%±8.5Highest ME: 18.1%
	Perham and Burnham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.2%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4%	24.5%±2.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Perham and Burnham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.8%Highest ME: 36.2%	18.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8%	2.5%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Burnham and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,261±$18kLowest 21% below ME	$62,500±$22kHighest 16% below ME
	Perham and Burnham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$178,100±$43kHighest 40% below ME	$117,600±$9kLowest 60% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,308±$386 15% above ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,897Highest 38% below ME	$1,641Lowest 46% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.9%±49Highest ME: 48.4%	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Burnham and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.6%Highest ME: 10.7%	2.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	92.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 13% below ME	25 minHighest about the ME average
Work from home	17%±10.9Highest ME: 15.9%	8.4%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Burnham and Perham 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.