What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stetson has the most expensive homes ($206k 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	Stetson
People
Population	326Lowest	1,151Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-1.3% ME: +2.6%
Median age	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME	42.2±5.1Lowest 6% below ME
	Perham and Stetson 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%	22.4%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1%
	Stetson 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%	14.2%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	19.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.4%±2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Stetson 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	$76,023±$28kHighest about the ME average
	Stetson 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	$205,700±$34kHighest 31% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$800±$377 30% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,641Lowest 46% below ME	$1,962Highest 35% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	73.7%±42Highest ME: 48.4%
	Stetson 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%	10.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	87.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1993Highest 16 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	32 minHighest 29% above ME
Work from home	8.4%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	11%±5.6Highest ME: 15.9%
	Stetson 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.