What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mount Chase has the most people working from home (22.2%).

Springfield has the highest household income ($61k).

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	Mount Chase	Springfield
People
Population	280Lowest	310Highest
Median age	49.9±10.9Lowest 11% above ME	52.4±7Highest 17% above ME
	Springfield and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.1%±10.6Highest ME: 18.1%	18.1%±5.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Mount Chase and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.9%±6.3Highest ME: 22.4%	21.6%±5.4Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Mount Chase and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Highest ME: 36.2%	17.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±5.7Highest ME: 5.8%	0.6%±3.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Mount Chase and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$41,711±$7kLowest 44% below ME	$60,833±$23kHighest 19% below ME
	Springfield and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$115,700±$15kLowest 61% below ME	$122,500±$28kHighest 59% below ME
	Springfield and Mount Chase are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,281±$1k 12% above ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,548Highest 49% below ME	$1,067Lowest 65% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	28.6%±100 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	30.7%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90%Lowest ME: 74.3%	96.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Lowest 9 yrs newer than ME	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 9% above ME	30 minHighest 21% above ME
Work from home	22.2%±12.8Highest ME: 15.9%	9.6%±5.2Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Mount Chase and Springfield 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

ME 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.