What stands out worked out from the figures below

Crystal has the oldest population (median age 63.2).

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

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	Crystal	Mount Chase
People
Population	247Lowest	280Highest
Median age	63.2±8.4Highest 41% above ME	49.9±10.9Lowest 11% above ME
	Crystal and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±11.8Lowest ME: 18.1%	22.1%±10.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Mount Chase and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	49%±5.3Highest ME: 22.4%	28.9%±6.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%	32.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±6.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	2.9%±5.7Highest ME: 5.8%
	Mount Chase and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$48,125±$13kHighest 36% below ME	$41,711±$7kLowest 44% below ME
	Crystal and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$129,200±$60kHighest 56% below ME	$115,700±$15kLowest 61% below ME
	Crystal and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,563±$922Highest 37% above ME	$1,281±$1kLowest 12% above ME
	Crystal and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$943Lowest 69% below ME	$1,548Highest 49% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	14.3%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	28.6%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Mount Chase and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%	30.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	90%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME	1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 10% above ME	27 minLowest 9% above ME
Work from home	0%±15.1Lowest ME: 15.9%	22.2%±12.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Mount Chase and Crystal 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.