What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most expensive homes ($192k median).

Lyons has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.1%).

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	Springfield	Lyons
People
Population	9,084Highest	5,594Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±3.7Highest 11% above U.S.	41.1±5.4Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Springfield and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	25.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Lyons and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.5%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Springfield and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	21%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.6%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lyons and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,571±$13kLowest 18% below U.S.	$74,524±$12kHighest 8% below U.S.
	Lyons and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$192,400±$20kHighest 42% below U.S.	$98,400±$12kLowest 70% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$963±$100Highest 32% below U.S.	$920±$111Lowest 35% below U.S.
	Springfield and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,807Highest 54% above U.S.	$2,998Lowest 4% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.6%±15.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	35.6%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Springfield and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	14.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	74.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Highest 22 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 3% above U.S.	21 minLowest 22% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.8%±8.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Springfield and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 70 in VT	#388 of 484 in NY
School district	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District	LYONS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	Springfield High School	LYONS SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	9.5Lowest
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.