What stands out worked out from the figures below

Perry has the most kids (24.1% under 18).

Smithfield has the highest household income ($108k).

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	Smithfield
People
Population	744Lowest	856Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.8%Highest ME: +2.6%	-10.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	45.5±11.4Lowest about the ME average	55.8±3.5Highest 25% above ME
	Smithfield 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%	10%±3.5Lowest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	21%±6.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	29.7%±3.5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Smithfield 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%	34.7%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8%	3%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%
	Smithfield 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	$107,917±$27kHighest 44% above ME
	Smithfield 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	$242,800±$15kHighest 18% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,109±$358 about the ME average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,132Highest 3% above ME	$2,866Lowest 6% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	42.9%±45.2Highest ME: 48.4%
	Smithfield 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%	5.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	88.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME	1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 6% above ME	33 minHighest 32% above ME
Work from home	23.4%±11.9Highest ME: 15.9%	22%±7.2Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Perry and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Perry Public Schools	—
High school 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.