What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Java has the most people working from home (9%).

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	Java
People
Population	2,490Highest	2,049Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.7%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-4.1%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40±5Lowest about the NY average	44.2±5.5Highest 11% above NY
	Java and Altona are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±4.7Lowest NY: 20.5%	20.7%±4.7Highest NY: 20.5%
	Java and Altona 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%	19.5%±3.6Highest NY: 17.9%
	Java 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%	24.6%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.2%±0.7Lowest NY: 7%	3%±2.4Highest NY: 7%
	Java 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	$95,129±$24kHighest 11% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$151,400±$26kLowest 64% below NY	$223,900±$30kHighest 47% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$997±$182Highest 38% below NY	$863±$419Lowest 47% below NY
	Altona and Java 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	$3,775Highest 43% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.5%±68.6Highest NY: 52.1%	2.5%±61.4Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Altona and Java 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%	3.7%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%	95.2%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 21 yrs newer than NY	1956Lowest 3 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 16% below NY	27 minLowest 17% below NY
Work from home	2.3%±2.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	9%±4.4Highest NY: 14.9%
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.