What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Searsmont has the most expensive homes ($284k 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	Searsmont
People
Population	326Lowest	1,646Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.6% ME: +2.6%
Median age	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME	44.5±9.8Lowest about the ME average
	Perham and Searsmont 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%	13.9%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Perham and Searsmont 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%	21%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Perham and Searsmont 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%	31.6%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	10%±6.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Searsmont 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	$87,000±$20kHighest 16% above ME
	Searsmont 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	$284,000±$31kHighest 4% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$940±$311 17% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,641Lowest 46% below ME	$2,788Highest 8% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	41.4%±41.3Highest ME: 48.4%
	Searsmont 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%	6.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	90.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest about the ME average	25 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	8.4%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	16.3%±10.1Highest ME: 15.9%
	Searsmont and Perham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	RSU 71
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.