What stands out worked out from the figures below

Jefferson has the most affordable homes ($187k median).

Sandgate has the most people working from home (34.6%).

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	Jefferson	Sandgate
People
Population	1,226Highest	435Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.5% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	53.9±5.2Lowest 39% above U.S.	55.7±5.4Highest 43% above U.S.
	Sandgate and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.2%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	13.1%±7.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sandgate and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.8%±6.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	26%±11.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Jefferson and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.3%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sandgate and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,083±$9kLowest 17% below U.S.	$69,167±$19kHighest 14% below U.S.
	Sandgate and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$186,900±$42kLowest 44% below U.S.	$193,800±$31kHighest 42% below U.S.
	Sandgate and Jefferson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,602Highest 15% above U.S.	$2,778Lowest 11% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Jefferson and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	94.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.	27 minLowest 3% above U.S.
Work from home	23.6%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	34.6%±32.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sandgate and Jefferson 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.