What stands out worked out from the figures below

Jay has the most people working from home (27.3%).

Smithville has the most affordable homes ($173k median).

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	Jay	Smithville
People
Population	471Lowest	1,525Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.1±10.5Highest 34% above U.S.	43.1±3.2Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Jay and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.2%±7.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	16.6%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Smithville and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.5%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	16.1%±3.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Smithville and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±5.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Smithville and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,792±$25kHighest 7% below U.S.	$70,433±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.
	Jay and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$234,200±$45kHighest 30% below U.S.	$173,200±$42kLowest 48% below U.S.
	Jay and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$889±$186 37% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,588Lowest 15% above U.S.	$4,254Highest 36% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54.9%±31.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Smithville and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	2001Highest 21 yrs newer than U.S.	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	40 minHighest 50% above U.S.	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	27.3%±13.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	4.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Jay/Westfield Joint Elementary 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.