What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Prospect has the most expensive homes ($197k 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	Prospect
People
Population	326Lowest	923Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-1.6% ME: +2.6%
Median age	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME	45.2±7.5Lowest about the ME average
	Perham and Prospect 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%	25.2%±10.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Prospect 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%	19.8%±1.7Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	22.3%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%	1.6%±1Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Perham and Prospect 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	$81,250±$17kHighest 9% above ME
	Prospect 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	$196,500±$19kHighest 34% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,107±$61 about the ME average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,641Lowest 46% below ME	$1,979Highest 35% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	31.3%±42Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Perham and Prospect 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%	7.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	88.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1998Highest 21 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	33 minHighest 34% above ME
Work from home	8.4%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9%	6.2%±3.3Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Perham and Prospect 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.