What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wade has the most people working from home (10.1%).

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	Wade	Ira
People
Population	244Lowest	381Highest
Median age	53.6±18.5Lowest 38% above U.S.	54.1±5.5Highest 39% above U.S.
	Ira and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±6.7Highest U.S.: 22%	10.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Wade and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34.8%±10.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	28.9%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wade and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.4%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ira and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$41,818±$25kLowest 48% below U.S.	$71,827±$5kHighest 11% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$157,100±$109kLowest 53% below U.S.	$272,900±$18kHighest 18% below U.S.
	Ira and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$942±$52 33% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,655Lowest 47% below U.S.	$4,146Highest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	36.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ira and Wade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 28% above U.S.	28 minLowest 6% above U.S.
Work from home	10.1%±6.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	2.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wade 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.