What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whiting has the shortest commute (22 min average).

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

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	Whiting	Perry
People
Population	506Lowest	744Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-9.8% ME: +2.6%
Median age	50±5Highest 12% above ME	45.5±11.4Lowest about the ME average
	Whiting and Perry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1%	24.1%±4.4Highest 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+	27.5%±6.1Highest ME: 22.4%	21%±6.2Lowest 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+	34.9%Highest ME: 36.2%	31.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.8 ME: 5.8%	2.8%±1.5 ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,263±$2kLowest 26% below ME	$82,056±$4kHighest 10% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$214,200±$52kHighest 28% below ME	$196,400±$13kLowest 34% 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	$1,728Lowest 43% below ME	$3,132Highest 3% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	27.3%±100Lowest 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	5.3%Highest ME: 10.7%	4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	91.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 10% below ME	26 minHighest 6% above ME
Work from home	5.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	23.4%±11.9Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	Whiting Public Schools	Perry 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.