What stands out worked out from the figures below

Porter has the most people working from home (15.5%).

Steep Falls has the most kids (22.9% under 18).

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	Steep Falls
People
Population	1,746Lowest	1,861Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+7.4%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.9±7.9Lowest 9% below ME	44.1±6.5Highest about the ME average
	Steep Falls 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%	22.9%±9.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Steep Falls and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±3.2Highest ME: 22.4%	9.7%±5.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14%Lowest ME: 36.2%	14.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8%	3.5%±3.8Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Porter and Steep Falls 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	$80,280±$33kHighest 7% above ME
	Steep Falls 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±$20kLowest 24% below ME	$243,400±$31kHighest 18% below ME
	Steep Falls and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,516±$1k 33% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,841Lowest 39% below ME	$3,273Highest 8% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.9%±8.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	66.4%±36.1Highest ME: 48.4%
	Steep Falls and Porter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	7.2%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.4%Highest ME: 74.3%	80.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr newer than ME	1970Lowest 7 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 30% above ME	31 minLowest 25% above ME
Work from home	15.5%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9%	4%±4.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.