What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ripley has the most people working from home (6.5%).

Cambridge has the most expensive homes ($215k 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	Ripley	Cambridge
People
Population	436Lowest	532Highest
Median age	47.7±5.3Highest 6% above ME	38.7±1.1Lowest 14% below ME
Kids under 18	16.3%±6.5Lowest ME: 18.1%	19.2%±8.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Cambridge and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.7%±4.6Lowest ME: 22.4%	18.6%±8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Cambridge and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	22.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±6Highest ME: 5.8%	2.1%±3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Ripley and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,821±$13kHighest 13% below ME	$63,194±$39kLowest 15% below ME
	Ripley and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$144,300±$33kLowest 51% below ME	$214,900±$61kHighest 28% below ME
	Cambridge and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,091±$281 4% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,270Lowest 58% below ME	$1,574Highest 48% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±73.7Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Ripley and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.9%Lowest ME: 10.7%	14.1%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81%Lowest ME: 74.3%	93.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 28% above ME	41 minHighest 65% above ME
Work from home	6.5%±6.2Highest ME: 15.9%	1.7%±1.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Ripley and Cambridge 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.