What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dayton has the most people working from home (16.3%).

Somerville has the most affordable homes ($218k 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	Dayton	Somerville
People
Population	2,313Highest	837Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.3%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+9.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	42.1±5.5Highest 6% below ME	33.5±11.3Lowest 25% below ME
	Dayton and Somerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.4%±4Lowest ME: 18.1%	28.8%±7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Somerville and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.3%±3.2Highest ME: 22.4%	13.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Dayton and Somerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.6%Highest ME: 36.2%	25.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%	1.8%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Dayton and Somerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,750±$24kHighest 52% above ME	$71,250±$15kLowest 5% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$398,200±$34kHighest 34% above ME	$218,100±$41kLowest 26% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,215±$867Lowest 7% above ME	$1,583±$265Highest 39% above ME
	Somerville and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,872Highest 28% above ME	$2,505Lowest 17% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38%±19.6Lowest ME: 48.4%	65.7%±58.5Highest ME: 48.4%
	Somerville and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%	17%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Highest ME: 74.3%	85.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME	1989Lowest 12 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 26% above ME	27 minLowest 9% above ME
Work from home	16.3%±3.9Highest ME: 15.9%	3.9%±2.3Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	Dayton Public Schools	RSU 12
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.