What stands out worked out from the figures below

Monroe has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.6%).

Waterford has the most people working from home (15.3%).

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	Waterford
People
Population	786Lowest	1,279Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51±10.4Highest 31% above U.S.	45.4±5.3Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Monroe and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±7.6Highest U.S.: 22%	16.7%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Monroe and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.3%±8.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.4%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Monroe and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	41%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Waterford and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,150±$7kLowest 9% above U.S.	$109,375±$19kHighest 35% above U.S.
	Waterford and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$312,700±$58kHighest 6% below U.S.	$271,500±$22kLowest 18% below U.S.
	Monroe and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$218 22% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,661Lowest 15% below U.S.	$4,238Highest 36% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48%±39 U.S.: 51.1%	—
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	99%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 4% above U.S.	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	3.2%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.3%±7.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Monroe School District	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.