What stands out worked out from the figures below

Smithville has the most people working from home (4.4%).

Ira has the most expensive homes ($273k 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	Smithville	Ira
People
Population	1,525Highest	381Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.6% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.1±3.2Lowest 11% above U.S.	54.1±5.5Highest 39% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.6%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	10.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Smithville and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.1%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.9%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±5.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Smithville and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,433±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.	$71,827±$5kHighest 11% below U.S.
	Ira and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$173,200±$42kLowest 48% below U.S.	$272,900±$18kHighest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$889±$186Lowest 37% below U.S.	$942±$52Highest 33% below U.S.
	Ira and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,254Highest 36% above U.S.	$4,146Lowest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.9%±31.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	36.4%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Smithville and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	28 minLowest 6% above U.S.
Work from home	4.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	2.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Smithville and Ira 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

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.