What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Tunbridge has the most people working from home (25.8%).

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	Tunbridge
People
Population	953Lowest	1,253Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.8±7.2Highest 31% above U.S.	42.7±8.3Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Lempster and Tunbridge 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%	21.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Tunbridge 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%	20.9%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Lempster and Tunbridge 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%	42.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lempster and Tunbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,607±$12kLowest 7% above U.S.	$89,464±$26kHighest 11% above U.S.
	Tunbridge and Lempster 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.	$315,300±$23kHighest 5% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,346±$128 5% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,558Lowest 46% above U.S.	$4,645Highest 49% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	76.7%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lempster and Tunbridge 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%	14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	84.2%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.	31 minLowest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	5%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	25.8%±8.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Lempster School District	First Branch Unified School District #82
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.