What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dummer has the most affordable homes ($242k median).

Rome has the most expensive homes ($329k 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	Rome
People
Population	299Lowest	1,215Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+13.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.6±6.4Highest 38% above U.S.	48.3±9.2Lowest 24% above U.S.
	Dummer and Rome are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.4%±6.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Rome and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.4%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.7%±9.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Rome and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	39.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±4.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Rome 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.	$77,639±$25kLowest 4% below U.S.
	Dummer and Rome 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.	$329,300±$36kHighest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,150±$56 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,898Highest 7% below U.S.	$1,829Lowest 41% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54.2%±59.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Rome and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	91.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below U.S.	30 minHighest 13% above U.S.
Work from home	6.8%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	7.4%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Rome and Dummer 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

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.