What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lyons has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.1%).

Springfield has the most expensive homes ($192k median).

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	Lyons	Springfield
People
Population	5,594Lowest	9,084Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.1±5.4Lowest 6% above U.S.	43.2±3.7Highest 11% above U.S.
	Springfield and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 22%	18.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Lyons and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.5%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	23.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Springfield and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	23.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.3%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lyons and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,524±$12kHighest 8% below U.S.	$66,571±$13kLowest 18% below U.S.
	Lyons and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$98,400±$12kLowest 70% below U.S.	$192,400±$20kHighest 42% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$920±$111Lowest 35% below U.S.	$963±$100Highest 32% below U.S.
	Springfield and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,998Lowest 4% below U.S.	$4,807Highest 54% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.6%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	49.6%±15.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Springfield and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	67.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1958Highest 22 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 22% below U.S.	27 minHighest 3% above U.S.
Work from home	11.8%±8.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Springfield and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#388 of 484 in NY	#64 of 70 in VT
School district	LYONS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District
High school in town	LYONS SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	Springfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	14.3Highest
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.