What stands out worked out from the figures below

Montezuma has the most affordable homes ($116k median).

Newark has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.5%).

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	Montezuma	Newark
People
Population	1,271Highest	727Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.1±7.9Highest 16% above U.S.	41.4±6Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Montezuma and Newark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.1%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16.7%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.9%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Newark and Montezuma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	41%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.7%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.6%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Montezuma and Newark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,250±$18kHighest 9% below U.S.	$72,929±$7kLowest 10% below U.S.
	Montezuma and Newark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$116,200±$11kLowest 65% below U.S.	$229,900±$23kHighest 31% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$983±$192Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,708±$97Highest 21% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,310Lowest 26% below U.S.	$3,771Highest 21% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.2%±21.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	7.1%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Montezuma and Newark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	22.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1980Lowest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below U.S.	34 minHighest 28% above U.S.
Work from home	9.2%±6.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.8%±8.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Newark and Montezuma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
High school 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.