What stands out worked out from the figures below

Busti has the most kids (19.9% under 18).

Sandgate has the most people working from home (34.6%).

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	Busti	Sandgate
People
Population	7,452Highest	435Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	46.6±4.8Lowest 20% above U.S.	55.7±5.4Highest 43% above U.S.
	Sandgate and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	13.1%±7.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Busti and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.8%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26%±11.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sandgate and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.3%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Busti and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,292±$9kLowest 17% below U.S.	$69,167±$19kHighest 14% below U.S.
	Sandgate and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$164,600±$12kLowest 51% below U.S.	$193,800±$31kHighest 42% below U.S.
	Sandgate and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,085±$106 23% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,876Highest 24% above U.S.	$2,778Lowest 11% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.5%±13.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Busti and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	94.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.	27 minHighest 3% above U.S.
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	34.6%±32.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sandgate and Busti 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.