What stands out worked out from the figures below

Monroe has the most affordable homes ($165k median).

Washington has the most people working from home (12.9%).

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	Monroe	Washington
People
Population	122Lowest	526Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-8.2% MA: +7.4%
Median age	60.2±9.9Highest 51% above MA	56.5±7.7Lowest 41% above MA
	Monroe and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±28Highest MA: 19.4%	13.3%±5.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Monroe and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.1%±27.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	35.4%±1.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Washington and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	32.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9%±18.5Highest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Monroe and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$95,278±$12k 8% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$165,000±$141kLowest 71% below MA	$370,700±$32kHighest 34% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,053Lowest 66% below MA	$4,381Highest 27% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 MA: 51.8%	0%±100 MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	38.5%Highest MA: 10%	2.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	92.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA	1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	56 minHighest 93% above MA	25 minLowest 13% below MA
Work from home	0%±41.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	12.9%±10.3Highest MA: 18.6%
	Washington and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.