What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lyme has the most people working from home (27.2%).

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	Lyme
People
Population	381Lowest	1,710Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54.1±5.5Highest 39% above U.S.	48.6±7.8Lowest 25% above U.S.
	Ira and Lyme 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%	19.5%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	28.9%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	26.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ira and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	70.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ira and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,827±$5kLowest 11% below U.S.	$133,906±$15kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,900±$18kLowest 18% below U.S.	$645,000±$64kHighest 94% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$942±$52Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,418±$130Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,146Lowest 33% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.4%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.8%±29.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lyme 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%	4.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 6% above U.S.	21 minLowest 21% below U.S.
Work from home	2.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27.2%±5.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	—	Lyme 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.