What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charleston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.1%).

Etna has the most affordable homes ($183k 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	Charleston	Etna
People
Population	1,117Lowest	1,252Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.1%Highest ME: +2.6%	-1.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	45.4±5.9Highest about the ME average	41.9±3.4Lowest 6% below ME
	Charleston and Etna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±5Lowest ME: 18.1%	20%±6.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Etna and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	11.5%±2.1Lowest ME: 22.4%	18.5%±1.1Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	12.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	13.9%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.4%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	0.6%±0.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Etna and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,250±$20kHighest about the ME average	$72,379±$16kLowest 3% below ME
	Charleston and Etna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$226,500±$17kHighest 24% below ME	$183,000±$49kLowest 38% below ME
	Charleston and Etna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$988±$870 13% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,811Highest 40% below ME	$1,745Lowest 43% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	66.7%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Etna and Charleston 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%	15.5%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%	94.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME	1993Highest 16 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 5% above ME	28 minHighest 12% above ME
Work from home	16.6%±8.8Highest ME: 15.9%	5.6%±3.3Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Charleston and Etna 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.