What stands out worked out from the figures below

Perham has the most affordable homes ($118k median).

Franklin has the most expensive homes ($246k 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	Franklin
People
Population	326Lowest	1,628Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5.7% ME: +2.6%
Median age	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME	46±9.3Lowest about the ME average
	Perham and Franklin 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%	16.3%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Perham and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.5%±2.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	25.6%±3.5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Franklin and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	28.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Franklin 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	$65,455±$16kHighest 12% below ME
	Franklin 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	$245,800±$59kHighest 17% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$888±$306 22% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,641Lowest 46% below ME	$2,231Highest 27% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	36.7%±27.8Highest ME: 48.4%
	Franklin 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%	15.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	76.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1984Highest 7 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	29 minHighest 18% above ME
Work from home	8.4%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	12.2%±5.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Franklin 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.