What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ira has the most expensive homes ($273k median).

Castle Hill has the most people working from home (10.3%).

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	Ira	Castle Hill
People
Population	381Highest	281Lowest
Median age	54.1±5.5Lowest 39% above U.S.	57.8±15.8Highest 49% above U.S.
	Castle Hill and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	10.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	14.2%±5.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Castle Hill and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.9%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	44.8%±6.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	26.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.1%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ira and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,827±$5kHighest 11% below U.S.	$54,250±$14kLowest 33% below U.S.
	Ira and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,900±$18kHighest 18% below U.S.	$145,300±$18kLowest 56% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$942±$52Lowest 33% below U.S.	$950±$574Highest 33% below U.S.
	Castle Hill and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,146Highest 33% above U.S.	$1,449Lowest 54% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.4%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	75%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Castle Hill and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	94.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 6% above U.S.	19 minLowest 29% below U.S.
Work from home	2.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.3%±9.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Castle Hill and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
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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.