What stands out worked out from the figures below

Perham has the shortest commute (25 min average).

Avon has the most expensive homes ($142k 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	Perham	Avon
People
Population	326Lowest	359Highest
Median age	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME	47.1±5.1Lowest 5% above ME
	Perham and Avon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±8.5Lowest ME: 18.1%	21.7%±6.8Highest ME: 18.1%
	Avon and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.5%±2.3Highest ME: 22.4%	20.1%±4.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Perham and Avon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%	2.2%±4.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Perham and Avon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,500±$22kLowest 16% below ME	$63,125±$32kHighest 16% below ME
	Avon and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$117,600±$9kLowest 60% below ME	$141,700±$42kHighest 52% below ME
	Avon and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$465±$30 59% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,641Highest 46% below ME	$1,469Lowest 52% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	90%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Avon and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	10.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	78.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	42 minHighest 71% above ME
Work from home	8.4%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	9.2%±8.1Highest ME: 15.9%
	Avon 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.