What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lancaster has the most affordable homes ($202k median).

Whiting has the most people working from home (10%).

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	Lancaster	Whiting
People
Population	10,113Highest	532Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	45.1±4.7Highest 16% above U.S.	39.6±2.7Lowest about the U.S. average
	Lancaster and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.5%±6.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Whiting and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21%±4.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	13%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Lancaster and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	25.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Whiting and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,148±$7kLowest 18% below U.S.	$91,250±$38kHighest 13% above U.S.
	Whiting and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$202,200±$16kLowest 39% below U.S.	$280,400±$36kHighest 16% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$969±$169Lowest 31% below U.S.	$1,204±$519Highest 15% below U.S.
	Whiting and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,932Highest 58% above U.S.	$4,227Lowest 36% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52%±19Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	58.3%±37.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Whiting and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	65.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.	22 minHighest 17% below U.S.
Work from home	7%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10%±5.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Whiting and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53
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.