What stands out worked out from the figures below

Steep Falls has the most expensive homes ($243k median).

Chapman has the shortest commute (23 min average).

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	Steep Falls	Chapman
People
Population	1,861Highest	388Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.4% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	44.1±6.5Lowest about the ME average	45.7±11.4Highest about the ME average
	Chapman and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.9%±9.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	27.6%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Chapman and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	9.7%±5.9Lowest ME: 22.4%	27.6%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%	22.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±3.8Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Chapman and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,280±$33kLowest 7% above ME	$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME
	Chapman and Steep Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$243,400±$31kHighest 18% below ME	$185,700±$22kLowest 37% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,516±$1k 33% above ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,273Highest 8% above ME	$1,850Lowest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.4%±36.1Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Steep Falls and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	94.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 7 yrs older than ME	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 25% above ME	23 minLowest 6% below ME
Work from home	4%±4.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	4.8%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Chapman and Steep Falls 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.