What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wade has the most people working from home (10.1%).

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	Wade
People
Population	132Lowest	244Highest
Median age	47.2±17Lowest 5% above ME	53.6±18.5Highest 20% above ME
	Wade 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%	16.4%±6.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Aurora and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.3%±26.9Lowest ME: 22.4%	34.8%±10.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Wade and Aurora 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%	33.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±10.1Highest ME: 5.8%	0.4%±4.6Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Aurora and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$41,818±$25k 44% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$189,400±$17kHighest 36% below ME	$157,100±$109kLowest 47% below ME
	Aurora and Wade 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	$1,655Lowest 45% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Aurora and Wade 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%	4.2%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%	78.3%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME	1951Lowest 26 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 36% above ME	34 minHighest 37% above ME
Work from home	6.5%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	10.1%±6.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Wade 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.