What stands out worked out from the figures below

Industry has the most affordable homes ($206k median).

Alna has the most people working from home (16.4%).

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	Industry	Alna
People
Population	988Highest	818Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-15.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+0.1%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.6±10.7Lowest 9% below ME	40.7±10.5Highest 9% below ME
	Alna and Industry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.4%±6.3Lowest ME: 18.1%	32.9%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Alna and Industry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±6.6Highest ME: 22.4%	17.4%±5.4Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Industry and Alna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	41.3%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8%	1.8%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Industry and Alna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,056±$19kLowest 16% below ME	$93,125±$16kHighest 25% above ME
	Alna and Industry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$205,600±$31kLowest 31% below ME	$367,400±$55kHighest 24% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,049±$137Lowest 8% below ME	$1,088±$176Highest 4% below ME
	Alna and Industry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,793Lowest 41% below ME	$3,667Highest 21% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65.9%±38.2Highest ME: 48.4%	42.9%±70.4Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Industry and Alna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.9%Highest ME: 10.7%	2.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME	1978Highest 1 yr newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	41 minHighest 67% above ME	35 minLowest 41% above ME
Work from home	7.1%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9%	16.4%±5.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Alna and Industry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

ME 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.