What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ames has the most kids (14.9% under 18).

Hardenburgh has the most people working from home (13.7%).

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	Ames	Hardenburgh
People
Population	87Lowest	153Highest
Median age	48.8±15.2Lowest 23% above NY	62.6±10.1Highest 57% above NY
	Hardenburgh and Ames are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.9%±41.5Highest NY: 20.5%	8.5%±16.6Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Ames and Hardenburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±36.6Lowest NY: 17.9%	47.1%±25Highest NY: 17.9%
	Hardenburgh and Ames are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.3%Highest NY: 40.2%	33.6%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.2%±8.7Highest NY: 7%	0.7%±9.5Lowest NY: 7%
	Ames and Hardenburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,500±$63kHighest 31% above NY	$69,028±$33kLowest 20% below NY
	Ames and Hardenburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$157,800±$13kLowest 63% below NY	$492,900±$367kHighest 16% above NY
	Hardenburgh and Ames are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,143Lowest 52% below NY	$4,667Highest 29% below NY
Below poverty line	1.1%Lowest NY: 14%	3.3%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100% NY: 54.3%	100% NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1972Highest 13 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	44 minHighest 34% above NY	29 minLowest 10% below NY
Work from home	0%±30.4Lowest NY: 14.9%	13.7%±14Highest NY: 14.9%
	Hardenburgh and Ames 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

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.