What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lempster has the most affordable homes ($242k median).

Sharon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.9%).

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	Lempster	Sharon
People
Population	953Lowest	1,577Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.8±7.2Highest 31% above U.S.	45.6±7.7Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Lempster and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	21%±5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sharon and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	25.1%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Lempster and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,607±$12kHighest 7% above U.S.	$84,375±$17kLowest 5% above U.S.
	Lempster and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$241,900±$29kLowest 27% below U.S.	$346,700±$37kHighest 4% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,386±$155 about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,558Lowest 46% above U.S.	$5,903Highest 89% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	19.8%±17.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lempster and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	5%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	12.7%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Lempster School District	Sharon School District
High school in town	None 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.