What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lowell has the most expensive homes ($210k 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	Lowell
People
Population	326Lowest	378Highest
Median age	53±12.9Lowest 18% above ME	55.5±8.6Highest 24% above ME
	Lowell and Perham 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%	13.2%±4.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Perham and Lowell 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%	31.2%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4%
	Lowell 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%	30%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%	1.9%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Perham and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,500±$22kHighest 16% below ME	$50,833±$31kLowest 32% below ME
	Perham and Lowell 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	$209,700±$30kHighest 29% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,641Highest 46% below ME	$1,478Lowest 51% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	80%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Lowell 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%	10.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	88.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	31 minHighest 24% above ME
Work from home	8.4%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	10.8%±5.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Lowell and Perham 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.