What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ludlow has the most people working from home (9.8%).

Perham has the oldest population (median age 53).

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	Ludlow	Perham
People
Population	444Highest	326Lowest
Median age	46.1±5.8Lowest about the ME average	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME
	Perham and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1%	19.6%±8.5Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Ludlow and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	12.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4%	24.5%±2.3Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%	18.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±3.1Highest ME: 5.8%	2.5%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Ludlow and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,500±$21k 16% below ME	$62,500±$22k 16% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$133,900±$56kHighest 55% below ME	$117,600±$9kLowest 60% below ME
	Ludlow and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$988±$111 13% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,655Highest 45% below ME	$1,641Lowest 46% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±94.3Highest ME: 48.4%	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Ludlow and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest ME: 10.7%	2.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	92.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1992Highest 15 yrs newer than ME	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 15% below ME	25 minHighest about the ME average
Work from home	9.8%±8Highest ME: 15.9%	8.4%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Ludlow 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.