What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Saco has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.3%).

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	Saco
People
Population	744Lowest	20,819Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+10.3%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	45.5±11.4Highest about the ME average	44.9±1.5Lowest about the ME average
	Perry and Saco 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%	16.7%±2.5Lowest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	21%±6.2Highest ME: 22.4%	18.5%±2.1Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Perry and Saco 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%	43.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.2%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Saco 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±$4kLowest 10% above ME	$92,241±$11kHighest 23% above ME
	Saco 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	$413,100±$17kHighest 39% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,249±$385 10% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,132Lowest 3% above ME	$4,807Highest 58% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	50.3%±14Highest ME: 48.4%
	Saco 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%	6.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	72.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 6% above ME	24 minLowest 3% below ME
Work from home	23.4%±11.9Highest ME: 15.9%	19%±3.6Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Perry and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#38 of 133 in ME
School district	Perry Public Schools	Saco 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.