What stands out worked out from the figures below

Croydon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

Sheffield has the most affordable homes ($172k median).

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	Sheffield
People
Population	798Highest	573Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43±9.1Highest 11% above U.S.	42±8Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Croydon and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±6.3Highest U.S.: 22%	17.1%±6.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Croydon and Sheffield 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%	19.2%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	27.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±4.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sheffield and Croydon 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.	$58,333±$26kLowest 28% below U.S.
	Croydon and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$317,300±$33kHighest 5% below U.S.	$171,900±$50kLowest 48% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$991±$336Highest 30% below U.S.	$967±$79Lowest 32% below U.S.
	Croydon and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,806Highest 22% above U.S.	$2,123Lowest 32% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.1%±75.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	61.5%±41.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sheffield and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	5.3%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	6.1%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sheffield 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	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
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.