What stands out worked out from the figures below

Jacksonville has the most affordable homes ($223k median).

Springfield has the most kids (15.1% under 18).

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	Jacksonville	Springfield
People
Population	106Lowest	1,122Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.6±12.1Lowest 30% above U.S.	51.4±8.8Highest 32% above U.S.
	Springfield and Jacksonville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	6.6%±26.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	15.1%±8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Springfield and Jacksonville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±23.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.8%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Jacksonville and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±13.3 U.S.: 6.4%	0%±1.5 U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,281±$30kLowest 3% above U.S.	$100,893±$19kHighest 25% above U.S.
	Springfield and Jacksonville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$223,400±$61kLowest 33% below U.S.	$384,100±$50kHighest 15% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,096±$217 22% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,795Lowest 22% above U.S.	$5,946Highest 91% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	25.9%±64.8 U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	90.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.	34 minHighest 30% above U.S.
Work from home	8.2%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.7%±11.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Springfield and Jacksonville 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.