What stands out worked out from the figures below

Howard has the most people working from home (5.6%).

Ira has the most expensive homes ($273k 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	Howard	Ira
People
Population	1,254Highest	381Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	49.1±3.1Lowest 26% above U.S.	54.1±5.5Highest 39% above U.S.
	Ira and Howard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%	10.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Howard and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.6%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.9%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ira and Howard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ira and Howard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,906±$5kHighest 8% below U.S.	$71,827±$5kLowest 11% below U.S.
	Howard and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$128,100±$25kLowest 61% below U.S.	$272,900±$18kHighest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$775±$242Lowest 45% below U.S.	$942±$52Highest 33% below U.S.
	Ira and Howard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,605Lowest 16% below U.S.	$4,146Highest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.9%±64.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	36.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ira and Howard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	28 minHighest 6% above U.S.
Work from home	5.6%±3.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	2.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Howard and Ira 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.