What stands out worked out from the figures below

Amsterdam has the most affordable homes ($138k median).

Thompson has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.1%).

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	Amsterdam	Thompson
People
Population	18,166Highest	16,714Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.2%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+8.1%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	39.5±1.2Lowest about the NY average	40.4±3.9Highest about the NY average
	Thompson and Amsterdam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23%±2.3Highest NY: 20.5%	22.3%±2.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Amsterdam and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.5%±2.1Lowest NY: 17.9%	20.1%±2.8Highest NY: 17.9%
	Thompson and Amsterdam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.5%Lowest NY: 40.2%	25.4%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1Lowest NY: 7%	4.5%±1.4Highest NY: 7%
	Thompson and Amsterdam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,178±$8kLowest 35% below NY	$65,021±$10kHighest 24% below NY
	Thompson and Amsterdam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$137,900±$11kLowest 67% below NY	$229,000±$19kHighest 46% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,006±$45Lowest 38% below NY	$1,126±$109Highest 31% below NY
	Thompson and Amsterdam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,369Lowest 34% below NY	$5,079Highest 23% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.4%±6.8Lowest NY: 52.1%	49.9%±9.2Highest NY: 52.1%
	Thompson and Amsterdam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.2%Lowest NY: 14%	21.6%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	53%Highest NY: 54.3%	46.4%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1974Highest 15 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 37% below NY	25 minHighest 24% below NY
Work from home	10.5%±3.2Highest NY: 14.9%	8%±2.7Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Amsterdam and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#474 of 484 in NY	#452 of 484 in NY
School district	AMSTERDAM CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	MONTICELLO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	None in town	MONTICELLO HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.5
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.