What stands out worked out from the figures below

Medford has the most affordable homes ($88k median).

Perham has the most kids (19.6% under 18).

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	Medford	Perham
People
Population	222Lowest	326Highest
Median age	50.5±8.8Lowest 13% above ME	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME
	Perham and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	3.2%±11.3Lowest ME: 18.1%	19.6%±8.5Highest ME: 18.1%
	Perham and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±9.6Lowest ME: 22.4%	24.5%±2.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Perham and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	10.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%	18.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±6Highest ME: 5.8%	2.5%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Medford and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,476±$14kHighest 12% below ME	$62,500±$22kLowest 16% below ME
	Medford and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$88,200±$27kLowest 70% below ME	$117,600±$9kHighest 60% below ME
	Perham and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,250Lowest 59% below ME	$1,641Highest 46% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	33.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Perham and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.3%Highest ME: 10.7%	2.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.7%Highest ME: 74.3%	92.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr newer than ME	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 6% above ME	25 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	7.7%±5Lowest ME: 15.9%	8.4%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Perham and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
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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.