What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most people working from home (15.1%).

Oswego has the most affordable homes ($121k 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	Springfield	Oswego
People
Population	9,084Lowest	17,033Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±3.7Highest 11% above U.S.	35.7±1.6Lowest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.9%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Oswego 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%	18.3%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Springfield and Oswego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	26.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	10.1%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,571±$13kHighest 18% below U.S.	$53,172±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.
	Springfield and Oswego 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.	$120,600±$7kLowest 64% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$963±$100Lowest 32% below U.S.	$1,109±$72Highest 22% below U.S.
	Oswego and Springfield 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.	$3,362Lowest 8% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.6%±15.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	60.4%±7.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Oswego and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.2%Lowest 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.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.6%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Springfield and Oswego 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	#285 of 484 in NY
School district	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District	OSWEGO CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	Springfield High School	OSWEGO HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	12.5Lowest
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.