What stands out worked out from the figures below

Effingham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+15.4%).

Porter has the most affordable homes ($226k 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	Effingham	Porter
People
Population	1,912Highest	1,746Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+15.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.9±12.4Highest 21% above U.S.	40.9±7.9Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Effingham and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	16.8%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Effingham and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.4%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Porter and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	14%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,607±$14kHighest 5% below U.S.	$60,417±$9kLowest 25% below U.S.
	Effingham and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$322,700±$30kHighest 3% below U.S.	$226,100±$20kLowest 32% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,090±$121 23% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,163Highest 66% above U.S.	$1,841Lowest 41% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13.6%±40.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	43.9%±8.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Porter and Effingham 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%	9.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	87.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 19% above U.S.	32 minHighest 21% above U.S.
Work from home	16.1%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	15.5%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Effingham and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	—
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.