What stands out worked out from the figures below

Croydon has the most affordable homes ($317k median).

Hope has the most people working from home (18.3%).

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	Croydon	Hope
People
Population	798Lowest	1,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43±9.1Lowest 11% above U.S.	44.6±3.1Highest 15% above U.S.
	Hope and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±5.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Hope and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	47.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Croydon and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,333±$21kHighest 22% above U.S.	$86,766±$6kLowest 7% above U.S.
	Croydon and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$317,300±$33kLowest 5% below U.S.	$373,400±$33kHighest 12% above U.S.
	Hope and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$991±$336Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,219±$182Highest 14% below U.S.
	Hope and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,806Lowest 22% above U.S.	$3,842Highest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.1%±75.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	37.8%±38.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hope and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	92.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1991Highest 11 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	20 minLowest 25% below U.S.
Work from home	5.3%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.3%±10.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hope and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Croydon School District	Hope Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.