What stands out worked out from the figures below

Perham has the oldest population (median age 53).

Ludlow has the most people working from home (9.8%).

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	Ludlow
People
Population	326Lowest	444Highest
Median age	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME	46.1±5.8Lowest about the ME average
	Perham and Ludlow 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%	22.7%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Ludlow 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%	12.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	16.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	2.7%±3.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	Ludlow 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±$22k 16% below ME	$62,500±$21k 16% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$117,600±$9kLowest 60% below ME	$133,900±$56kHighest 55% below ME
	Ludlow and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$988±$111 13% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,641Lowest 46% below ME	$1,655Highest 45% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	45.5%±94.3Highest ME: 48.4%
	Ludlow 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%	15.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	90.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1992Highest 15 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest about the ME average	21 minLowest 15% below ME
Work from home	8.4%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	9.8%±8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Ludlow 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.