What stands out worked out from the figures below

Altona has the most affordable homes ($151k median).

Durham has the most people working from home (13%).

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	Altona	Durham
People
Population	2,490Lowest	2,641Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.7%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-3.6%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40±5Lowest about the NY average	48.8±5.1Highest 23% above NY
	Durham and Altona are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±4.7Highest NY: 20.5%	18.3%±5.2Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Altona and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±5Lowest NY: 17.9%	24.2%±7Highest NY: 17.9%
	Durham and Altona are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	6.1%Lowest NY: 40.2%	28.3%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.2%±0.7Lowest NY: 7%	1.3%±1.2Highest NY: 7%
	Durham and Altona are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,367±$3kLowest 40% below NY	$81,471±$15kHighest 5% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$151,400±$26kLowest 64% below NY	$245,300±$26kHighest 42% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$997±$182Highest 38% below NY	$994±$844Lowest 39% below NY
	Altona and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,687Lowest 74% below NY	$3,728Highest 43% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.5%±68.6Highest NY: 52.1%	19.3%±40.8Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Altona and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.2%Highest NY: 14%	4.1%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%	92%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 21 yrs newer than NY	1976Lowest 17 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 16% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	2.3%±2.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	13%±7.8Highest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#100 of 484 in NY
School district	—	CAIRO-DURHAM CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	CAIRO-DURHAM HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	7.9
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY 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.