What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ashland has the most affordable homes ($125k median).

Wayne has the most people working from home (26.2%).

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	Ashland	Wayne
People
Population	1,080Lowest	1,101Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	53.4±9.1Lowest 19% above ME	55.6±5.3Highest 24% above ME
	Wayne and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.3%±3.8Highest ME: 18.1%	13.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Ashland and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	32.2%±8Highest ME: 22.4%	29.2%±3.8Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Ashland and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%	48.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	6.5%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Wayne and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$46,838±$15kLowest 37% below ME	$93,194±$26kHighest 25% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$125,000±$49kLowest 58% below ME	$362,800±$29kHighest 22% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$983±$554 14% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,511Lowest 50% below ME	$3,289Highest 8% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	25.7%±27.5Highest ME: 48.4%	25%±52.1Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Ashland and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	23.6%Highest ME: 10.7%	7.9%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 4 yrs older than ME	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 14% below ME	30 minHighest 24% above ME
Work from home	4.7%±2.7Lowest ME: 15.9%	26.2%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	—	RSU 38
High school 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.