What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Whiting has the shortest commute (22 min average).

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	Whiting
People
Population	744Highest	506Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.8% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	45.5±11.4Lowest about the ME average	50±5Highest 12% above ME
	Whiting 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%	17.8%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Perry and Whiting 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%	27.5%±6.1Highest ME: 22.4%
	Whiting 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%	34.9%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.5 ME: 5.8%	2.8%±1.8 ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,056±$4kHighest 10% above ME	$55,263±$2kLowest 26% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$196,400±$13kLowest 34% below ME	$214,200±$52kHighest 28% below ME
	Whiting and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$600±$333 47% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,132Highest 3% above ME	$1,728Lowest 43% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	33.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Whiting 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%	93.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME	1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 6% above ME	22 minLowest 10% below ME
Work from home	23.4%±11.9Highest ME: 15.9%	5.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	Perry Public Schools	Whiting 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.