What stands out worked out from the figures below

Smithville has the most affordable homes ($173k median).

Sheldon has the most people working from home (13%).

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	Sheldon
People
Population	1,525Lowest	2,267Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.1±3.2Highest 11% above U.S.	40.9±3.5Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Smithville and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.6%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.7%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16.1%±3.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	12.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Smithville and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	14.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±5.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Smithville and Sheldon 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.	$78,533±$25kHighest about the U.S. average
	Sheldon 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.	$272,400±$61kHighest 18% below U.S.
	Sheldon and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$889±$186Lowest 37% below U.S.	$1,286±$379Highest 9% below U.S.
	Sheldon 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.	$3,578Lowest 15% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.9%±31.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±27Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Smithville and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	25 minLowest 5% below U.S.
Work from home	4.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	—	Northern Mountain Valley Unified Union School District #85
High school 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.