What stands out worked out from the figures below

Perham has the most people working from home (8.4%).

Mexico has the youngest population (median age 43.4).

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	Mexico
People
Population	326Lowest	2,782Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.8% ME: +2.6%
Median age	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME	43.4±2.8Lowest 3% below ME
	Perham and Mexico 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%	19.8%±4.8Highest ME: 18.1%
	Mexico 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%	20.3%±4Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Perham and Mexico 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%	13%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.5%±2.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Mexico 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±$22kHighest 16% below ME	$55,727±$9kLowest 25% below ME
	Perham and Mexico are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$117,600±$9kHighest 60% below ME	$110,800±$10kLowest 63% below ME
	Perham and Mexico are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,027±$275 10% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,641Lowest 46% below ME	$1,961Highest 35% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	62.8%±17.8Highest ME: 48.4%
	Mexico 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%	19.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	77%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 1 yr older than ME	1958Lowest 19 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest about the ME average	24 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	8.4%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9%	5.6%±3.6Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Perham and Mexico are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#130 of 133 in ME
School district	—	Rumford-Region 9 · RSU 10
High school in town	—	None in town
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.