What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oakfield has the most people working from home (8.1%).

Ashland has the most expensive homes ($125k median).

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	Oakfield	Ashland
People
Population	449Lowest	1,080Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-7.7% ME: +2.6%
Median age	57.3±13Highest 28% above ME	53.4±9.1Lowest 19% above ME
	Oakfield and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.8%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%	14.3%±3.8Highest ME: 18.1%
	Ashland and Oakfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	35.9%±9.1Highest ME: 22.4%	32.2%±8Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Oakfield and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	8.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	13.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.3%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8%
	Ashland and Oakfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$45,272±$7kLowest 39% below ME	$46,838±$15kHighest 37% below ME
	Ashland and Oakfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$68,600±$53kLowest 77% below ME	$125,000±$49kHighest 58% below ME
	Ashland and Oakfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$567±$244 50% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$613Lowest 80% below ME	$1,511Highest 50% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.6%±13.4Lowest ME: 48.4%	25.7%±27.5Highest ME: 48.4%
	Ashland and Oakfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%	23.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56%Lowest ME: 74.3%	66.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 7 yrs older than ME	1973Highest 4 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 34% below ME	21 minHighest 14% below ME
Work from home	8.1%±6.4Highest ME: 15.9%	4.7%±2.7Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Oakfield and Ashland 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.