What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnet has the most people working from home (55%).

Effingham has the most expensive homes ($323k median).

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	Barnet	Effingham
People
Population	61Lowest	1,912Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+15.4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	62.2±45.8Highest 60% above U.S.	46.9±12.4Lowest 21% above U.S.
	Barnet and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	31.1%±29.6Highest U.S.: 22%	19.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Barnet and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	36.1%±44.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.7%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barnet and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±23.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	1.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Effingham and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,917±$16kLowest 28% below U.S.	$76,607±$14kHighest 5% below U.S.
	Effingham and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$204,200±$38kLowest 39% below U.S.	$322,700±$30kHighest 3% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,090±$121 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,950Lowest 5% below U.S.	$5,163Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	13.6%±40.4 U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	47.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	90.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	—	32 min 19% above U.S.
Work from home	55%±29Highest U.S.: 15.1%	16.1%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	—	Governor Wentworth Regional School District
High school in town	—	None in town
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.