What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Embden has the most people working from home (18.7%).

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	Embden
People
Population	281Lowest	995Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-3.9% ME: +2.6%
Median age	57.8±15.8Lowest 29% above ME	60.6±5.1Highest 35% above ME
	Embden and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.2%±5.8Highest ME: 18.1%	13.2%±5.5Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Castle Hill and Embden 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%	34.6%±9.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Castle Hill and Embden 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%	16.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±5.3Highest ME: 5.8%	0.4%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Castle Hill and Embden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,250±$14kLowest 27% below ME	$56,875±$23kHighest 24% below ME
	Embden and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$145,300±$18kLowest 51% below ME	$173,400±$59kHighest 42% below ME
	Embden and Castle Hill 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	$1,804Highest 41% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	75%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Castle Hill and Embden 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%	12.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.3%Lowest ME: 74.3%	96.3%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME	1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 24% below ME	33 minHighest 34% above ME
Work from home	10.3%±9.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.7%±7.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Embden and Castle Hill 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

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.