What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charleston has the most affordable homes ($238k median).

Randolph has the highest household income ($102k).

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	Randolph
People
Population	936Highest	420Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.2% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	58.4±9.3Highest 50% above U.S.	57.5±10.9Lowest 48% above U.S.
	Charleston and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.2%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	14.5%±6.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Randolph and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.7%±8.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	31.7%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Charleston and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.5%±3.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Randolph and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,286±$17kLowest 39% below U.S.	$101,750±$16kHighest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$238,000±$53kLowest 28% below U.S.	$407,000±$57kHighest 22% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$979±$444Lowest 31% below U.S.	$1,667±$215Highest 18% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,750Lowest 20% above U.S.	$4,269Highest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.7%±26.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50%±53.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Randolph and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	18.7%±7.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.5%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Randolph and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Charleston School District	—
High school 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.