What stands out worked out from the figures below

Nelson has the most people working from home (31.5%).

Burke has grown the fastest since 2010 (-5.8%).

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	Nelson	Burke
People
Population	648Lowest	1,317Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-13.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.3±11.7Highest 9% above U.S.	41.1±4.8Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Nelson and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.5%±6.6Highest U.S.: 22%	23%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Nelson and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.8%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.7%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Nelson and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	41.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Burke and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$99,792±$23kHighest 24% above U.S.	$87,143±$17kLowest 8% above U.S.
	Nelson and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$340,900±$49kHighest about the U.S. average	$340,600±$18kLowest about the U.S. average
	Nelson and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,203±$243Highest 15% below U.S.	$938±$191Lowest 34% below U.S.
	Nelson and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,575Highest 79% above U.S.	$5,177Lowest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40%±68.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	74.6%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Burke and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	88.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	25 minHighest 4% below U.S.
Work from home	31.5%±8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	23.4%±6.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Nelson and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Nelson School District	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
High school in town	None 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.