What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($191k median).

Waterford has the most people working from home (15.3%).

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	Dalton	Waterford
People
Population	916Lowest	1,279Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±12.9Lowest 14% above U.S.	45.4±5.3Highest 17% above U.S.
	Waterford and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±11.3Highest U.S.: 22%	16.7%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Dalton and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Waterford and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	41%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dalton and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,429±$36kLowest about the U.S. average	$109,375±$19kHighest 35% above U.S.
	Waterford and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$191,400±$68kLowest 42% below U.S.	$271,500±$22kHighest 18% below U.S.
	Waterford and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$900±$825 36% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,561Lowest 14% above U.S.	$4,238Highest 36% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±83.7 U.S.: 51.1%	—
Below poverty line	19.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	99%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1980Lowest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 25% below U.S.	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	5.9%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.3%±7.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Waterford and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.