What stands out worked out from the figures below

Belvidere has the most expensive homes ($239k median).

Castle Hill has the shortest commute (19 min average).

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	Belvidere	Castle Hill
People
Population	422Highest	281Lowest
Median age	40.7±6.5Lowest 5% above U.S.	57.8±15.8Highest 49% above U.S.
	Castle Hill and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22%±4Highest U.S.: 22%	14.2%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Belvidere and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	8.8%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	44.8%±6.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	26.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.1%±5.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Castle Hill and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,563±$18kHighest about the U.S. average	$54,250±$14kLowest 33% below U.S.
	Belvidere and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$239,200±$51kHighest 28% below U.S.	$145,300±$18kLowest 56% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,542±$1kHighest 9% above U.S.	$950±$574Lowest 33% below U.S.
	Belvidere and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,908Highest 25% above U.S.	$1,449Lowest 54% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±53.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	75%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Castle Hill and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	94.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.	1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 42% above U.S.	19 minLowest 29% below U.S.
Work from home	9.4%±7.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.3%±9.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Castle Hill and Belvidere 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.