What stands out worked out from the figures below

Aurora has the most kids (26.5% under 18).

Amherst has the most people working from home (11%).

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	Aurora	Amherst
People
Population	132Lowest	424Highest
Median age	47.2±17Lowest 5% above ME	50.9±9.9Highest 14% above ME
	Amherst and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	26.5%±16.9Highest ME: 18.1%	19.3%±8.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Aurora and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.3%±26.9Highest ME: 22.4%	24.3%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Aurora and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	31.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±10.1Highest ME: 5.8%	3.8%±2.5Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Aurora and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$72,656±$12k about the ME average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$189,400±$17kLowest 36% below ME	$210,200±$38kHighest 29% below ME
	Amherst and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$342 about the ME average	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,025Highest 33% below ME	$1,527Lowest 50% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	50%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Amherst and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%	96.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 36% above ME	27 minLowest 11% above ME
Work from home	6.5%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	11%±5.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Amherst and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Airline CSD	—
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.