What stands out worked out from the figures below

Porter has the most expensive homes ($226k median).

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($123k 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	Porter	Springfield
People
Population	1,746Highest	310Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.8% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	40.9±7.9Lowest 9% below ME	52.4±7Highest 17% above ME
	Springfield and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.8%±4Lowest ME: 18.1%	18.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Springfield and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	21.6%±5.4Highest ME: 22.4%
	Springfield and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14%Lowest ME: 36.2%	17.3%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8%	0.6%±3.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Porter and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,417±$9kLowest 19% below ME	$60,833±$23kHighest 19% below ME
	Springfield and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$226,100±$20kHighest 24% below ME	$122,500±$28kLowest 59% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,841Highest 39% below ME	$1,067Lowest 65% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.9%±8.7 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	9.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	96.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 30% above ME	30 minLowest 21% above ME
Work from home	15.5%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9%	9.6%±5.2Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Porter 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.