What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chapman has the shortest commute (23 min average).

Steep Falls has the most expensive homes ($243k median).

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	Steep Falls
People
Population	388Lowest	1,861Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+7.4% ME: +2.6%
Median age	45.7±11.4Highest about the ME average	44.1±6.5Lowest about the ME average
	Chapman and Steep Falls 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%	22.9%±9.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Chapman and Steep Falls 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%	9.7%±5.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.8%Highest ME: 36.2%	14.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%	3.5%±3.8Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Chapman and Steep Falls 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	$80,280±$33kLowest 7% above ME
	Chapman and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$185,700±$22kLowest 37% below ME	$243,400±$31kHighest 18% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,516±$1k 33% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,850Lowest 39% below ME	$3,273Highest 8% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	66.4%±36.1Highest ME: 48.4%
	Steep Falls 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%	7.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	80.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME	1970Lowest 7 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 6% below ME	31 minHighest 25% above ME
Work from home	4.8%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9%	4%±4.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Chapman and Steep Falls 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.