What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dummer has the oldest population (median age 53.6).

Fairfield has the most expensive homes ($321k 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	Dummer	Fairfield
People
Population	299Lowest	1,938Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.6±6.4Highest 38% above U.S.	42.3±2.7Lowest 9% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.4%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	25.4%±5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Fairfield and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.4%±4.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.3%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	30.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Fairfield and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,250±$21kHighest 13% above U.S.	$87,019±$22kLowest 8% above U.S.
	Dummer and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,200±$51kLowest 27% below U.S.	$320,600±$22kHighest 4% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,056±$441 25% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,898Lowest 7% below U.S.	$4,816Highest 54% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	29.2%±20.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Fairfield and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	88.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 5% below U.S.	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	6.8%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	7.8%±3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Fairfield and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57
High school 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.