What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ripley has the most affordable homes ($144k median).

Newburgh has the most expensive homes ($245k 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	Newburgh
People
Population	436Lowest	1,475Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.8% ME: +2.6%
Median age	47.7±5.3Highest 6% above ME	45.8±5.7Lowest about the ME average
	Ripley and Newburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±6.5Lowest ME: 18.1%	18.8%±3.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Newburgh 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%	21.4%±2.4Highest ME: 22.4%
	Newburgh 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%	29.9%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±6Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.3%±2.7Highest ME: 5.8%
	Newburgh and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,821±$13kLowest 13% below ME	$76,750±$10kHighest about the ME average
	Newburgh and Ripley 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	$244,600±$20kHighest 18% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,091±$281Highest 4% below ME	$950±$219Lowest 17% below ME
	Ripley and Newburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,270Lowest 58% below ME	$2,748Highest 9% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±73.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	42.9%±13.9Highest ME: 48.4%
	Newburgh and Ripley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.9%Highest ME: 10.7%	11.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81%Lowest ME: 74.3%	81.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME	1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 28% above ME	30 minLowest 23% above ME
Work from home	6.5%±6.2Highest ME: 15.9%	6.4%±3.3Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Ripley and Newburgh 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.