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Compare towns

Saranac vs Perry

51 miles apart. The biggest differences: rent (2× in Perry) and jobs per worker (2.1× in Perry).

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Saranac, MIA small town of 2,013Michigan · 2,013 people
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Perry, MIKnown for its schoolsMichigan · 2,073 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

SaranacA small town of 2,013
Quiet strengthsSaranac doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Saranac →
PerryKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 63%of MI districts All about Perry →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Rent2×
Rent runs higher in Perry
Perry $1,091Saranac $538
Jobs per worker2.1×
Perry is more of a job hub
Perry 0.79Saranac 0.38
Growth since 2010+8.2 pts
Saranac has grown faster since 2010
Saranac +3.8%Perry -4.4%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Saranac$1,860/mo
Typical home $300K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.13% · or rent about $538/mo · Housing →
Perry$1,760/mo
Typical home $267K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.60% · or rent about $1,091/mo · Housing →

The difference: $100 a month, about $1,200 a year, between Saranac and Perry.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Michigan ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
–SaranacNot graded BPerryBetter than 63% of districts in the state
Health
B−SaranacHealthier than 52% of U.S. towns C+PerryHealthier than 40% of U.S. towns
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
SaranacPerry
Snow a year66″46″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)57th23rd
Outdoors & history
SaranacPerry
Trails2 mi2 mi
Conserved land1.9%2.7%
Settled—1893
National Register places—2
Archive photos—6
Community
SaranacPerry
Library hours a week48 hrs42 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

51 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

SaranacMIPerryMI
Saranac ↔ Perry51 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

SaranacPerry
People
Population 2,013Lowest 2,073Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.8%Highest MI: +2% -4.4%Lowest MI: +2%
Median age 35.6±8.6Lowest 11% below MI 36.3±6.9Highest 10% below MI
Perry and Saranac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.7%±4.7Lowest MI: 21.2% 23%±7.5Highest MI: 21.2%
Perry and Saranac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.2%±1.5Highest MI: 18.6% 11.8%±3.4Lowest MI: 18.6%
Saranac and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19.7%Lowest MI: 32.4% 23.1%Highest MI: 32.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.1%±1.8Highest MI: 6.1% 1.8%±1.3Lowest MI: 6.1%
Saranac and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $66,944±$13kLowest 8% below MI $75,321±$19kHighest 3% above MI
Perry and Saranac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $202,800±$30kHighest 12% below MI $164,000±$14kLowest 29% below MI
Saranac and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $538±$193Lowest 52% below MI $1,091±$191Highest 3% below MI
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,294Lowest 21% below MI $2,627Highest 10% below MI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 48%±13.3Highest MI: 50.4% 39.5%±22.5Lowest MI: 50.4%
Saranac and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 15.3%Lowest MI: 13.2% 19.1%Highest MI: 13.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.8%Lowest MI: 73.2% 61.3%Highest MI: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1966Lowest 6 yrs older than MI 1973Highest 1 yr newer than MI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest about the MI average 27 minHighest 12% above MI
Work from home 14.1%±8.7Highest MI: 13.5% 11.4%±6.3Lowest MI: 13.5%
Saranac and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.8%Lowest 7.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.3 miLowest 21.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.38Lowest 0.79Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Grand Rapids (13%)East Lansing (9%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PerryFew work in Saranac
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.9%Lowest 2.7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.9 miHighest 1.5 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.6 miHighest 0.6 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 30.1Lowest 32.3Highest
Schools
School district —Perry Public Schools
High school in town —Perry Secondary Campus Home to Perry Middle Perry High Sc
Students per teacherat that high school — 17.1
Michigan average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Saranac neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Saranac’s Town Square.

Perry neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Perry’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Saranac and Perry

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Saranac

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South Rockwood1,924 people · $227K homes
P
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Potterville3,087 people · $155K homes
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Lawton2,104 people · $171K homes
B
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Birch Run1,439 people · $191K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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