What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chapman has the most expensive homes ($186k median).

Perham has the most people working from home (8.4%).

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	Chapman	Perham
People
Population	388Highest	326Lowest
Median age	45.7±11.4Lowest about the ME average	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME
	Perham and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.6%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1%	19.6%±8.5Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Chapman and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.6%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%	24.5%±2.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Chapman and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.8%Highest ME: 36.2%	18.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%	2.5%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Chapman and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME	$62,500±$22kLowest 16% below ME
	Chapman and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$185,700±$22kHighest 37% below ME	$117,600±$9kLowest 60% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,850Highest 39% below ME	$1,641Lowest 46% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	33.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Perham and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest ME: 10.7%	2.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	92.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 6% below ME	25 minHighest about the ME average
Work from home	4.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	8.4%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Perham 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.