What stands out worked out from the figures below

Island Falls has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Springfield has the most people working from home (9.6%).

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	Island Falls	Springfield
People
Population	768Highest	310Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.4% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	50.7±10.6Lowest 13% above ME	52.4±7Highest 17% above ME
	Springfield and Island Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±7.1Highest ME: 18.1%	18.1%±5.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Island Falls and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.3%±2.1Highest ME: 22.4%	21.6%±5.4Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Island Falls and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	12.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%	17.3%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8%	0.6%±3.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Island Falls and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,328±$8kLowest 25% below ME	$60,833±$23kHighest 19% below ME
	Springfield and Island Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$108,300±$25kLowest 63% below ME	$122,500±$28kHighest 59% below ME
	Springfield and Island Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$636±$124 44% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,720Highest 43% below ME	$1,067Lowest 65% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	17.9%±51.5 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	20.7%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	96.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 17 yrs older than ME	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 16% below ME	30 minHighest 21% above ME
Work from home	6.7%±5.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	9.6%±5.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Springfield and Island Falls 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

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.