What stands out worked out from the figures below

Perry has the most people working from home (23.4%).

Pembroke has grown the fastest since 2010 (-6.2%).

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	Pembroke
People
Population	744Lowest	801Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-6.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	45.5±11.4Lowest about the ME average	49.6±4.6Highest 11% above ME
	Pembroke and Perry 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%	19.2%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Perry and Pembroke 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%	32.5%±4.3Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%	32%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8%	6.9%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Pembroke and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,056±$4kHighest 10% above ME	$60,132±$8kLowest 20% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$196,400±$13kHighest 34% below ME	$142,800±$25kLowest 52% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$881±$333 23% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,132Highest 3% above ME	$1,966Lowest 35% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	59.6%±45Highest ME: 48.4%
	Pembroke 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%	13.5%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	86.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME	1965Lowest 12 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 6% above ME	35 minHighest 41% above ME
Work from home	23.4%±11.9Highest ME: 15.9%	5.6%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	Perry Public Schools	Pembroke 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.