What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charlemont has the oldest population (median age 59.6).

Newark has the most kids (22% under 18).

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	Charlemont	Newark
People
Population	1,118Highest	727Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	59.6±6.7Highest 53% above U.S.	41.4±6Lowest 6% above U.S.
Kids under 18	7%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	41.1%±10.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.9%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	41%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1%±0.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.6%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Charlemont and Newark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,063±$12kLowest 34% below U.S.	$72,929±$7kHighest 10% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$305,500±$52kHighest 8% below U.S.	$229,900±$23kLowest 31% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,023±$126Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,708±$97Highest 21% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,351Highest 39% above U.S.	$3,771Lowest 21% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.1%±18.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	7.1%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Charlemont and Newark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	22.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 40% above U.S.	34 minLowest 28% above U.S.
Work from home	16.5%±6.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.8%±8.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Charlemont and Newark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Hawlemont	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.