What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chapman has the highest household income ($93k).

Columbia has the most people working from home (9%).

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	Chapman	Columbia
People
Population	388Lowest	529Highest
Median age	45.7±11.4Highest about the ME average	41.9±6.4Lowest 6% below ME
	Chapman and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.6%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1%	24.2%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Chapman and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.6%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%	25.9%±5.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Chapman and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.8%Highest ME: 36.2%	21.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±2.6Lowest ME: 5.8%	9.1%±4.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Columbia and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME	$56,667±$15kLowest 24% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$185,700±$22kHighest 37% below ME	$158,700±$19kLowest 46% below ME
	Chapman and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$894±$162 22% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,850Highest 39% below ME	$1,226Lowest 60% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	61.9%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Columbia and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%	13.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	81.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 6% below ME	31 minHighest 27% above ME
Work from home	4.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	9%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9%
	Columbia and Chapman 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.