What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lempster has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3.1%).

Sutton has the most people working from home (11.6%).

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	Lempster	Sutton
People
Population	953Highest	790Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-11.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.8±7.2Highest 31% above U.S.	46.6±5.7Lowest 20% above U.S.
	Lempster and Sutton 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%	17.3%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton 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%	21.6%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Lempster and Sutton 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%	32.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.3%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lempster and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,607±$12kHighest 7% above U.S.	$71,250±$18kLowest 12% below U.S.
	Lempster and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$241,900±$29kHighest 27% below U.S.	$231,100±$41kLowest 31% below U.S.
	Lempster and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,558Highest 46% above U.S.	$3,975Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.8%±31.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lempster and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	85%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	5%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.6%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sutton and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Lempster School District	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
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.