What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arkwright has the most affordable homes ($171k median).

Belvidere has the most people working from home (9.4%).

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	Arkwright	Belvidere
People
Population	859Highest	422Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	50.8±7.2Highest 31% above U.S.	40.7±6.5Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Arkwright and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Belvidere and Arkwright are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.2%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	8.8%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Arkwright and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,000±$26kHighest 15% above U.S.	$81,563±$18kLowest about the U.S. average
	Arkwright and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$170,900±$30kLowest 49% below U.S.	$239,200±$51kHighest 28% below U.S.
	Belvidere and Arkwright are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$875±$689Lowest 38% below U.S.	$1,542±$1kHighest 9% above U.S.
	Belvidere and Arkwright are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,760Lowest 21% above U.S.	$3,908Highest 25% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±65.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	66.7%±53.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Belvidere and Arkwright are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	38 minHighest 42% above U.S.
Work from home	6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	9.4%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Belvidere and Arkwright are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.