What stands out worked out from the figures below

Castle Hill has the most people working from home (10.3%).

Ashland has the most renters (33.9% rent).

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	Castle Hill	Ashland
People
Population	281Lowest	1,080Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-7.7% ME: +2.6%
Median age	57.8±15.8Highest 29% above ME	53.4±9.1Lowest 19% above ME
	Castle Hill and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.2%±5.8Lowest ME: 18.1%	14.3%±3.8Highest ME: 18.1%
	Ashland and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	44.8%±6.5Highest ME: 22.4%	32.2%±8Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Castle Hill and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	13.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±5.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.3%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8%
	Ashland and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,250±$14kHighest 27% below ME	$46,838±$15kLowest 37% below ME
	Castle Hill and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$145,300±$18kHighest 51% below ME	$125,000±$49kLowest 58% below ME
	Castle Hill and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$950±$574 17% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,449Lowest 52% below ME	$1,511Highest 50% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	75%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	25.7%±27.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Castle Hill and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	23.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.3%Highest ME: 74.3%	66.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME	1973Lowest 4 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 24% below ME	21 minHighest 14% below ME
Work from home	10.3%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9%	4.7%±2.7Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Castle Hill and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.