Perry Township, Ohio: Stark County’s Fastest-Rising Market and Best Price Per Square Foot Among Its High-Demand Suburbs

Perry Township’s median home price rose 22.6% year-over-year to $252,000 in March 2026, the strongest price appreciation in all of Stark County. That number doesn’t show up in most market summaries, because Perry doesn’t carry the name recognition of Jackson Township or the suburban polish of North Canton. But buyers who’ve been paying attention to the data have been finding it.

The township sits five miles west of downtown Canton, sharing ZIP codes 44646 and 44647 with portions of Massillon. At $140.80 per square foot, Perry is the most affordable market in the county on a per-sqft basis among the five highest-demand areas, well below Plain Township ($153.85), North Canton ($173.84), or Jackson Township ($185.94). For a first-time buyer who’s run the numbers on those other markets and come up short, Perry is where the math starts working. This guide covers the full picture: market data from Stark County MLS, school district ratings, property taxes, neighborhood character, and what buying here actually looks like in 2026.

Last updated: 2026-06-04.

Quick Facts: Perry Township Real Estate

Category	Details
Median Sold Price (March 2026)	$252,000
Year-Over-Year Price Change	+22.6% (strongest in Stark County)
Avg Days on Market	54.1 days
Price Per Square Foot	$140.80
List-to-Sale Ratio	99.0%
School District	Perry Local School District
Property Tax Rate	51.29 mills
Est. Annual Tax (on $200K home, before credits)	~$3,590
ZIP Codes	44646, 44647
Distance to Canton	~5 miles via Route 30
Population	28,389 (2020 Census)
Data Source	Stark County MLS, Stark County Auditor CAMA (2025 tax year)

Why Buyers Choose Perry Township

The math is the main reason. Jackson Township ran $360,500 at the median in March 2026. North Canton was $273,000. Perry came in at $252,000, and that spread isn’t just nominal. Per square foot, the gap gets wider. A buyer trading Jackson Township for Perry Township gets a similar Stark County suburban package for 24% less per square foot. That’s a bigger home, a larger lot, or a payment that doesn’t require both incomes maxed out from day one.

The appreciation side is what buyers miss when they make that comparison. Perry’s 22.6% year-over-year gain is more than double Jackson Township’s 9.2% growth and 12 times Plain Township’s 1.9%. A buyer who closed in Perry in March 2025 at the prior-year median picked up $46,500 in value over twelve months. That kind of run is what makes early movers in a neighborhood look smart in retrospect. It also means the buyer sitting on the sidelines waiting for more options is watching the window close.

Perry competes most directly with Plain Township on price. The March 2026 medians were virtually identical: $252,000 versus $249,750. But Plain grew 1.9% year-over-year while Perry grew 22.6%. If you’re buying a first home with a five-year horizon and Plain and Perry are both in your range, the trajectory data matters. I’d take Perry. The price-per-sqft advantage, the larger lot sizes, and the appreciation rate all point the same direction.

The demographic fits first-time buyers specifically. The price point works with OHFA down payment assistance programs currently available to Ohio buyers. The housing stock offers functional square footage rather than the inflated ceilings and open-concept layouts of newer construction where livable space shrinks faster than the list price. And the highway access to Route 30 and Route 62 makes commuting to Canton, Massillon, and north toward Summit County manageable from almost any street in the township.

Real Estate Market Snapshot

Perry Township March 2026 data compared to the nearest alternatives, per Stark County MLS:

Market	Median Price	Avg DOM	Price/Sq Ft	List-to-Sale	YoY Change	Sales Count
Perry LSD	$252,000	54.1 days	$140.80	99.0%	+22.6%	14
Plain LSD	$249,750	43.9 days	$153.85	100.0%	+1.9%	32
North Canton CSD	$273,000	45.9 days	$173.84	99.3%	+7.1%	16
Jackson LSD	$360,500	47.9 days	$185.94	98.6%	+9.2%	22

Perry’s 54.1 average days on market is the longest in this group. Buyers sometimes read that as a soft market. It’s not. The 99.0% list-to-sale ratio means sellers are getting essentially asking price when homes close. What that longer DOM figure actually reflects is a thin inventory combined with some overpriced listings that sit and drag up the average. A correctly priced home in Perry moves; it doesn’t wait 54 days.

The 14 sales in March is also worth naming directly. This is a thin market. A buyer who wants two or three options to compare on any given weekend is going to be disappointed more often than not. Perry is a market where you need to have your financing sorted, know what you want, and be ready to move when the right house comes up. Waiting for perfect conditions in a 14-sale-per-month market usually means watching the right house close for someone else. For more context on the broader Stark County picture, see the Canton Ohio real estate overview.

Schools and Education

Perry Local School District serves Perry Township and portions of unincorporated Massillon. That second part trips up buyers regularly, and it’s worth being direct about: buying in Perry Township means Perry Local Schools, not Massillon City Schools. The two districts share geographic proximity and some ZIP codes, but they’re entirely separate systems. If you’re looking at a home and the listing says 44646 or 44647, confirm the school district assignment directly, because both ZIPs straddle the boundary.

Perry Local earned a B+ from Niche, ranks 7th among Stark County school districts, and carries a 4-star overall rating on the 2024-25 Ohio School Report Cards. The district operates 8 school buildings with 4,352 students enrolled. The graduation rate is 96%. Ohio Department of Education state report card data shows 75% reading proficiency and 63% math proficiency across the district. Those numbers put Perry Local solidly in mid-tier territory for the county, well above Massillon City School District but below Jackson Local Schools and North Canton City School District, which sit near the top.

For families where school performance ranks above everything else in the decision and budget is the secondary consideration, Jackson Township is the stronger call. For a family with a real budget ceiling who wants a good school district at that price, Perry Local delivers something you can feel good about. It’s not a compromise school district. It’s a B+ school district in a market where B+ prices are $108,000 below the top of the county.

What It’s Like to Live Here

Perry Township is unincorporated, which is the first thing to understand about the day-to-day experience. There’s no city hall, no municipal water department, no downtown block with a coffee shop and a bookstore. Services come from the county and regional providers. The township itself handles roads and parks, eight of them, and that’s roughly the extent of local government you’ll interact with. Some buyers want that structure; others find it disorienting at first. It’s worth knowing before the offer goes in.

Route 30 is the main east-west artery, putting Massillon about five minutes to the west and downtown Canton about ten to twelve minutes to the east on a normal traffic day. Route 62 runs north from the township toward the Belden Village corridor, which is the retail spine of the canton metro: Target, the grocery anchors, the restaurant chains. That drive runs about fifteen minutes. For most buyers, Perry Township’s location solves the logistics without requiring you to be in Stark County’s geographic center to do it.

The housing stock is what it is. Most of it came out of the 1950s through the 1980s: ranch homes on larger lots, split-levels on gentle grades, colonial styles on streets where the trees have had decades to grow in. Basements are common. Attached garages are standard. Lots here run larger than what you find in Plain Township’s subdivisions or the tighter grid of North Canton’s neighborhoods. These are houses people have actually lived in and maintained, not spec builds where everything shows new but nothing has been tested yet.

The Stark County Park District’s network is accessible from Perry, and the township’s eight parks add local green space without requiring a drive across the county. Quail Hollow State Park is a reasonable trip east on Route 62 for buyers who want trail access. None of this is going to read as a selling point to a buyer who wants walkable retail and a restaurant within three blocks. Perry Township isn’t that. But for a buyer who wants a yard, a garage, a reasonable commute, and room to grow into a first home without starting at $360,000, it fits.

Property Taxes and Cost of Ownership

Property taxes in Perry Township run at 51.29 mills. Ohio applies millage to taxable value (35 percent of market value), so on a $200,000 home the taxable value is $70,000, producing an annual tax bill of about $3,590 before credits, per Stark County Auditor records. Among the townships covered in these guides (Jackson, Plain, Perry, Lake), only Lake Township’s 52.47 mills runs higher than Perry’s. County-wide, Massillon CSD (56.47 mills), Lake LSD (52.47), and Canton CSD (51.56) are all higher, which puts Perry fourth overall in Stark County. Jackson Township (46.93 mills) and Plain Township (41.65 mills) come in below Perry.

The direct comparison that matters most: Plain Township runs 41.65 mills, generating about $2,916 annually on that same $200,000 benchmark. The difference is about $674 per year, or $56 per month added to a buyer’s carrying cost. A buyer comparing a $252,000 home in Perry and a $249,750 home in Plain at similar condition and square footage is not making an apples-to-apples monthly payment calculation if they’re not running the tax difference.

Jackson Township’s rate of 46.93 mills works out to about $3,285 annually on a $200,000 home, so Perry is about $305 per year more expensive on taxes than Jackson despite the $108,000 lower purchase price. That’s a real factor. I work with buyers across both sides of this comparison regularly as a REALTOR® with the Stark Trumbull Association, and the honest answer is that the tax math favors Plain Township on a month-to-month payment basis. Perry’s argument is the equity trajectory. At 22.6% year-over-year appreciation versus Plain’s 1.9%, the buyer staying five to seven years likely comes out ahead in Perry despite the higher tax rate. The buyer planning to sell in two years should run the numbers carefully before assuming that holds.

Frequently Asked Questions About Perry Township Real Estate

What is Perry Township Ohio known for?

Perry Township in Stark County is a suburban township 5 miles west of Canton, known for affordable home prices relative to Jackson Township and North Canton. In March 2026, Perry Township posted the strongest year-over-year home price appreciation in Stark County at 22.6%, with a median sold price of $252,000, per Stark County MLS data. The township is served by Perry Local School District and has direct access to Route 30 and Route 62.

Is Perry Township Ohio a good place to live?

Perry Township is a solid suburban community with Perry Local Schools (B+ from Niche, ranked 7th in Stark County, 96% graduation rate), 8 township parks, access to the Stark County Park District, and straight-shot highway access to Canton and Massillon. It works well for first-time buyers and for buyers moving up from apartment living who want a yard and a garage at a price that doesn’t require a stretch income, with a median sold price $108,500 below Jackson Township’s, per March 2026 Stark County MLS data.

What school district is Perry Township Ohio in?

Perry Township is served by Perry Local School District, which also covers portions of unincorporated Massillon. This is a common point of confusion: Perry Local Schools and Massillon City Schools are entirely separate districts. Perry Local earned a B+ from Niche, ranks 7th among Stark County school districts, operates 8 buildings, and reported a 96% graduation rate with 4,352 students enrolled. Verify the district assignment on any specific address before making an offer, as both 44646 and 44647 straddle the boundary.

How much does a home cost in Perry Township Ohio?

The median sold price in Perry Township was $252,000 in March 2026, per Stark County MLS data. That’s up 22.6% from a year earlier, the strongest appreciation in the county. The median price per square foot was $140.80, the lowest among Stark County’s five highest-demand markets. Sales volume was 14 closed transactions in March, which is a thin market, so active listings at any given time will be limited.

What are property taxes like in Perry Township Ohio?

Property taxes in Perry Township run at 51.29 mills, producing an annual bill of about $3,590 on a $200,000 home before credits (Ohio millage applies to taxable value, 35 percent of market value), per Stark County Auditor records. Among the townships covered in these guides (Jackson, Plain, Perry, Lake), only Lake Township (52.47 mills) runs higher than Perry’s 51.29. County-wide, Massillon CSD (56.47 mills), Lake LSD (52.47), and Canton CSD (51.56) are all higher, putting Perry fourth overall in Stark County. Jackson Township (46.93 mills) and Plain Township (41.65 mills) are both lower than Perry. Factor this into the monthly payment calculation from the beginning.

Is Perry Township part of Massillon Ohio?

No. Perry Township is an unincorporated township that’s a separate jurisdiction from the city of Massillon. The two share proximity and some ZIP codes, which creates confusion, but homes in Perry Township are not subject to Massillon city income or property taxes. Residents of Perry Township attend Perry Local School District, not Massillon City Schools. They are distinct political entities with different service structures.

How far is Perry Township from Canton Ohio?

Perry Township is 5 miles west of downtown Canton via Route 30. The typical drive runs 10 to 12 minutes in normal traffic. The Belden Village corridor, which has the bulk of Canton’s retail and dining, is 15 minutes northeast on Route 62. Massillon is about 5 minutes west. The location puts Perry Township in reasonable commuting distance from both cities without being centered on either.

Is Perry Township a good place for first-time homebuyers?

Yes. Perry Township is one of the better-positioned markets in Stark County for first-time buyers specifically. The $252,000 median price falls within range for buyers using OHFA down payment assistance programs. At $140.80 per square foot, it offers more home per dollar than comparable markets. The older housing stock means larger lots and more usable square footage than newer construction at similar prices. And the 22.6% year-over-year appreciation rate points toward meaningful equity growth for buyers who get in now. See the Ohio first-time homebuyer programs guide for current OHFA income limits and program details.

How long does it take to sell a home in Perry Township?

Homes in Perry Township averaged 54.1 days on market in March 2026, per Stark County MLS data. The list-to-sale ratio was 99.0%, meaning sellers received close to asking price. The longer average DOM compared to Plain Township (43.9 days) or North Canton (45.9 days) reflects the smaller sales volume and the effect of overpriced listings on the average, not soft demand. A correctly priced home moves faster than the average suggests.

Perry Township is one of five Stark County communities profiled in depth here. For a side-by-side look at how it compares to Jackson Township, North Canton, Plain Township, and Lake Township, see the Stark County neighborhood guides.