What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Exeter has the most expensive homes ($167k 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	Exeter
People
Population	326Lowest	1,093Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-11.8% ME: +2.6%
Median age	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME	52.6±7.7Lowest 17% above ME
	Perham and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±8.5Highest ME: 18.1%	9%±3.1Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Perham and Exeter 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%	23.9%±11.4Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Perham and Exeter 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%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.4%±2.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	Exeter 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±$22kLowest 16% below ME	$84,408±$12kHighest 13% above ME
	Exeter 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	$166,700±$39kHighest 44% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$995±$386 13% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,641Highest 46% below ME	$1,602Lowest 47% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100 ME: 48.4%	33.3%±73.8 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	2.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	8.1%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	93.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	35 minHighest 43% above ME
Work from home	8.4%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	10.3%±5.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Exeter 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.