What stands out worked out from the figures below

Moose River has the most kids (32.3% under 18).

Wilder has the most people working from home (12.6%).

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	Moose River	Wilder
People
Population	248Lowest	3,087Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+81.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	32.9±8.2Lowest 15% below U.S.	45.5±8.9Highest 17% above U.S.
	Wilder and Moose River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	32.3%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%	11.8%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	8.5%±10.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	27.3%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±6.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±3.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wilder and Moose River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,324±$9kHighest 5% below U.S.	$75,143±$9kLowest 7% below U.S.
	Moose River and Wilder are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$144,900±$31kLowest 56% below U.S.	$273,200±$18kHighest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,142±$451 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$928Lowest 70% below U.S.	$5,505Highest 76% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	39.9%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wilder and Moose River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	62.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 minLowest 43% below U.S.	17 minHighest 37% below U.S.
Work from home	4.5%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	12.6%±6.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wilder and Moose River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
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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.