What stands out worked out from the figures below

Patten has the most affordable homes ($128k median).

Perry has the most kids (24.1% 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	Patten	Perry
People
Population	1,154Highest	744Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-13.4%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-9.8%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	57.8±3.5Highest 29% above ME	45.5±11.4Lowest about the ME average
	Patten and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.3%±2.9Lowest ME: 18.1%	24.1%±4.4Highest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	38.5%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4%	21%±6.2Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	31.6%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	2.8%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Perry and Patten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,484±$6kLowest 31% below ME	$82,056±$4kHighest 10% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$127,600±$49kLowest 57% below ME	$196,400±$13kHighest 34% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$389±$99 66% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,199Lowest 61% below ME	$3,132Highest 3% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56%±64.1Highest ME: 48.4%	27.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Patten and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	23.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	91.8%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 11 yrs older than ME	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 13% above ME	26 minLowest 6% above ME
Work from home	28.7%±19.4Highest ME: 15.9%	23.4%±11.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Patten and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Perry Public Schools
High school in town	—	None in town
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.