What stands out worked out from the figures below

Shirley has the most expensive homes ($220k median).

Chapman has the most kids (27.6% 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	Shirley	Chapman
People
Population	234Lowest	388Highest
Median age	42±8.2Lowest 6% below ME	45.7±11.4Highest about the ME average
	Chapman and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±9.2Lowest ME: 18.1%	27.6%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Chapman and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.5%±10.1Lowest ME: 22.4%	27.6%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Chapman and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.6%Highest ME: 36.2%	22.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±5.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Chapman and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,875±$22kLowest 17% below ME	$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME
	Chapman and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$219,600±$36kHighest 26% below ME	$185,700±$22kLowest 37% below ME
	Shirley and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,522Highest 17% below ME	$1,850Lowest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	0%±100 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	17%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	99%Highest ME: 74.3%	94.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 7 yrs newer than ME	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 17% below ME	23 minHighest 6% below ME
Work from home	5.3%±4.9Highest ME: 15.9%	4.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Shirley and Chapman 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.