What stands out worked out from the figures below

Perry has the highest household income ($82k).

Strong has grown the fastest since 2010 (-7.5%).

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	Strong
People
Population	744Lowest	1,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-7.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	45.5±11.4Lowest about the ME average	47.5±8.9Highest 6% above ME
	Strong 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%	19.5%±3.5Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Perry and Strong 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%	22%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4%
	Strong 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%Highest ME: 36.2%	26.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%	2.1%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Perry and Strong 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	$47,557±$10kLowest 36% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$196,400±$13kHighest 34% below ME	$183,900±$29kLowest 38% below ME
	Perry and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$920±$276 19% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,132Highest 3% above ME	$1,950Lowest 36% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	20.9%±52.4Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Perry and Strong 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%	13.9%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	84.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME	1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 6% above ME	31 minHighest 26% above ME
Work from home	23.4%±11.9Highest ME: 15.9%	18.5%±9.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Perry and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Perry Public Schools	RSU 58/MSAD 58
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.