What stands out worked out from the figures below

Perham has the oldest population (median age 53).

Temple has the most expensive homes ($210k 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	Temple
People
Population	326Lowest	824Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-0.2% ME: +2.6%
Median age	53±12.9Highest 18% above ME	34±14Lowest 24% below ME
	Perham and Temple 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%	32.8%±7.2Highest ME: 18.1%
	Temple 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%	15%±6.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	13.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.9 ME: 5.8%	2.5%±2.1 ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,500±$22kHighest 16% below ME	$56,087±$2kLowest 25% below ME
	Perham and Temple 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	$210,200±$79kHighest 29% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,458±$565 28% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,641Lowest 46% below ME	$2,367Highest 22% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	73.3%±70.5Highest ME: 48.4%
	Temple 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%	10.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	92.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 1 yr older than ME	1966Lowest 11 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	34 minHighest 37% above ME
Work from home	8.4%±7.2Highest ME: 15.9%	7.5%±8.4Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Perham and Temple 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.