What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whiting has the most expensive homes ($214k median).

Alexander has the highest household income ($94k).

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	Whiting	Alexander
People
Population	506Lowest	553Highest
Median age	50±5Lowest 12% above ME	52.8±4.2Highest 18% above ME
	Alexander and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±4.8Lowest ME: 18.1%	18.1%±6.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Alexander and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.5%±6.1Highest ME: 22.4%	18.4%±4.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Whiting and Alexander are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.9%Highest ME: 36.2%	24.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.1%±4.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Alexander and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,263±$2kLowest 26% below ME	$93,750±$10kHighest 25% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$214,200±$52kHighest 28% below ME	$193,800±$54kLowest 35% below ME
	Whiting and Alexander are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$600±$333 47% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,728Lowest 43% below ME	$1,781Highest 41% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Whiting and Alexander are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	6.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	95.3%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 10% below ME	18 minLowest 26% below ME
Work from home	5.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	7.7%±4.4Highest ME: 15.9%
	Alexander and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Whiting Public Schools	Alexander Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.