What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dummer has the most people working from home (6.8%).

Starks has the most affordable homes ($149k 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	Starks
People
Population	299Lowest	556Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-7.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.6±6.4Highest 38% above U.S.	46.7±9.4Lowest 20% above U.S.
	Dummer and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%	16.4%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Dummer and Starks 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%	20.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dummer and Starks 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%	21%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	0.9%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Starks 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.	$63,500±$8kLowest 21% below U.S.
	Dummer and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,200±$51kHighest 27% below U.S.	$148,500±$27kLowest 55% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,063±$301 25% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,898Highest 7% below U.S.	$1,348Lowest 57% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	45.5%±90.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Starks 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%	19.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	90%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below U.S.	33 minHighest 23% above U.S.
Work from home	6.8%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	3.3%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Dummer and Starks 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.