What stands out worked out from the figures below

Columbia has the most people working from home (9%).

Chapman has the highest household income ($93k).

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	Columbia	Chapman
People
Population	529Highest	388Lowest
Median age	41.9±6.4Lowest 6% below ME	45.7±11.4Highest about the ME average
	Chapman and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.2%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	27.6%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Chapman and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.9%±5.9Lowest ME: 22.4%	27.6%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Chapman and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%	22.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.1%±4.6Highest ME: 5.8%	5.2%±2.6Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Columbia and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,667±$15kLowest 24% below ME	$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$158,700±$19kLowest 46% below ME	$185,700±$22kHighest 37% below ME
	Chapman and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$894±$162 22% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,226Lowest 60% below ME	$1,850Highest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.9%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Columbia and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.4%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	94.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 27% above ME	23 minLowest 6% below ME
Work from home	9%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9%	4.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Columbia and Chapman 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.