What stands out worked out from the figures below

Palmyra has the most kids (29.2% under 18).

Porter has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.8%).

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	Palmyra	Porter
People
Population	2,209Highest	1,746Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+6.8%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	37.1±4.8Lowest 17% below ME	40.9±7.9Highest 9% below ME
	Porter and Palmyra are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	29.2%±5.8Highest ME: 18.1%	16.8%±4Lowest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	16.7%±5.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	20.4%±3.2Highest ME: 22.4%
	Porter and Palmyra are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%	14%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Palmyra and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,543±$17kHighest 19% below ME	$60,417±$9kLowest 19% below ME
	Palmyra and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$154,900±$34kLowest 48% below ME	$226,100±$20kHighest 24% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$733±$119 36% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,614Lowest 47% below ME	$1,841Highest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.2%±14.9Highest ME: 48.4%	43.9%±8.7Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Palmyra and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	87.4%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1994Highest 17 yrs newer than ME	1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 14% below ME	32 minHighest 30% above ME
Work from home	7.5%±4.1Lowest ME: 15.9%	15.5%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9%
	Porter and Palmyra 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.