What stands out worked out from the figures below

Richfield has the most affordable homes ($146k median).

Whiting has the most people working from home (10%).

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	Richfield	Whiting
People
Population	1,949Highest	532Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-13.5% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	37±7.3Lowest 5% below U.S.	39.6±2.7Highest about the U.S. average
	Whiting and Richfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.5%±6.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Whiting and Richfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	13%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	25.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Whiting and Richfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,833±$14kLowest 26% below U.S.	$91,250±$38kHighest 13% above U.S.
	Whiting and Richfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$146,400±$15kLowest 56% below U.S.	$280,400±$36kHighest 16% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$802±$72Lowest 43% below U.S.	$1,204±$519Highest 15% below U.S.
	Whiting and Richfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,207Lowest 29% below U.S.	$4,227Highest 36% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±18.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	58.3%±37.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Whiting and Richfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	11.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	65.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	22 minLowest 17% below U.S.
Work from home	4.9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10%±5.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Whiting and Richfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RICHFIELD SPRINGS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53
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.