What stands out worked out from the figures below

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Cross has the most people working from home (22.2%).

Milton has the most conserved land (14.7% of the town).

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 townOutdoorsyWalkable streets

Measure	Cross	Milton
People
Population	437Lowest	450Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.3% WI: +3.6%
Median age	41.8±10.4Lowest 4% above WI	53.5±4.2Highest 33% above WI
	Milton and Cross are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.4%±5.6Highest WI: 21.4%	17.6%±5.1Lowest WI: 21.4%
	Cross and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.5%±5.3Lowest WI: 18.5%	28%±5.6Highest WI: 18.5%
	Milton and Cross are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.1%Highest WI: 33.4%	21.2%Lowest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.9%±2.5Highest WI: 5.8%	0.7%±2.3Lowest WI: 5.8%
	Cross and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,333±$31kHighest 20% above WI	$82,813±$8kLowest 7% above WI
	Cross and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$291,700±$57kHighest 9% above WI	$256,400±$19kLowest 4% below WI
	Cross and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$875±$404 20% below WI	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,781Highest about the WI average	$2,729Lowest 28% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	25%±88.2Lowest WI: 43.7%	40%±100Highest WI: 43.7%
	Milton and Cross are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.2%Highest WI: 10.6%	2%Lowest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.1%Lowest WI: 67.8%	94.4%Highest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr newer than WI	1983Highest 8 yrs newer than WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 12% above WI	33 minHighest 48% above WI
Work from home	22.2%±13.8Highest WI: 13.1%	7.8%±5Lowest WI: 13.1%
	Cross and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents	0.6%Lowest	0.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line	12.3 miLowest	13.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub	0.06Lowest	0.31Highest
Top workplaceoutside town	Winona (36%)	Winona (31%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others	Few work in Milton	Few work in Cross
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town	1.7%Lowest	14.7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles	0.0 miLowest	3.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi	0.0 miLowest	0.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map	0Lowest	1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure	0.6Lowest	1.6Highest
Schools
School district	—	Cochrane-Fountain City School District
High school in town	—	Cochrane-Fountain City High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	13.2
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

WI average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data; commute flows: Census LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics. “±” 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.