What stands out worked out from the figures below

Perry has the most affordable homes ($196k median).

Hope has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).

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	Perry	Hope
People
Population	744Lowest	1,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+10.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	45.5±11.4Highest about the ME average	44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average
	Perry and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.1%±4.4Highest ME: 18.1%	23.3%±5.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Perry and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21%±6.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	21.1%±1.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Hope and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%	47.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%	2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Perry and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,056±$4kLowest 10% above ME	$86,766±$6kHighest 16% above ME
	Hope and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$196,400±$13kLowest 34% below ME	$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,219±$182 7% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,132Lowest 3% above ME	$3,842Highest 27% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	37.8%±38.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Hope and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	5.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	92.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Lowest 13 yrs newer than ME	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 6% above ME	20 minLowest 19% below ME
Work from home	23.4%±11.9Highest ME: 15.9%	18.3%±10.2Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Perry and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Perry Public Schools	Hope Public Schools
High school in town	None 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.