What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charlotte has the most affordable homes ($141k median).

Union has the most people working from home (15.9%).

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	Charlotte	Union
People
Population	377Lowest	2,663Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5.5% ME: +2.6%
Median age	48.6±3.1Highest 8% above ME	41.6±5.3Lowest 7% below ME
	Charlotte and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.8%±10.4Lowest ME: 18.1%	24.9%±4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Union and Charlotte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±7.7Highest ME: 22.4%	21.4%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Charlotte and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%	34.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8%	3.5%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Charlotte and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,813±$18kLowest 9% below ME	$80,724±$9kHighest 8% above ME
	Union and Charlotte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$140,800±$30kLowest 53% below ME	$267,600±$42kHighest 10% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,179±$452 4% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,000Lowest 34% below ME	$3,276Highest 8% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	24.6%±19.8 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	22.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	10.2%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	85.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME	1979Highest 2 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest about the ME average	29 minHighest 20% above ME
Work from home	2%±2.6Lowest ME: 15.9%	15.9%±5.3Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	—	RSU 40/MSAD 40
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.