What stands out worked out from the figures below

Washington has the most people working from home (12.9%).

Monroe has the most affordable homes ($165k 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	Washington	Monroe
People
Population	526Highest	122Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.2% MA: +7.4%	—
Median age	56.5±7.7Lowest 41% above MA	60.2±9.9Highest 51% above MA
	Monroe and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.3%±5.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	16.4%±28Highest MA: 19.4%
	Monroe and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	35.4%±1.5Highest MA: 17.9%	31.1%±27.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Washington and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	19.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	9%±18.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Monroe and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,278±$12k 8% below MA	—
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$370,700±$32kHighest 34% below MA	$165,000±$141kLowest 71% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,381Highest 27% below MA	$2,053Lowest 66% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 MA: 51.8%	0%±100 MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	2.7%Lowest MA: 10%	38.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 13% below MA	56 minHighest 93% above MA
Work from home	12.9%±10.3Highest MA: 18.6%	0%±41.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Washington and Monroe 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

MA 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.