What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arcadia has the shortest commute (23 min average).

Berlin has the most people working from home (12.9%).

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	Arcadia	Berlin
People
Population	13,601Highest	1,960Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.6%Highest NY: +4.2%	-3.8%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	43.7±3.1Highest 10% above NY	41.3±5.3Lowest 4% above NY
	Arcadia and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±3.1Lowest NY: 20.5%	21.5%±5.2Highest NY: 20.5%
	Berlin and Arcadia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.3%±2.7Highest NY: 17.9%	17.1%±3.7Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Arcadia and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.2%Lowest NY: 40.2%	24.6%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1Lowest NY: 7%	6.1%±2.6Highest NY: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,398±$5kLowest 26% below NY	$80,313±$25kHighest 7% below NY
	Berlin and Arcadia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$148,400±$12kLowest 65% below NY	$214,600±$22kHighest 49% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,002±$86Lowest 38% below NY	$1,160±$309Highest 28% below NY
	Berlin and Arcadia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,944Highest 40% below NY	$3,518Lowest 47% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.2%±11.5Highest NY: 52.1%	19.7%±17.9Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Arcadia and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.9%Highest NY: 14%	6.6%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.4%Lowest NY: 54.3%	80%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 1 yr newer than NY	1964Highest 5 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 30% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	6.4%±2.9Lowest NY: 14.9%	12.9%±7.2Highest NY: 14.9%
	Berlin and Arcadia 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	#301 of 484 in NY	—
School district	NEWARK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	BERLIN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	NEWARK SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	BERLIN MIDDLE SCHOOL/HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Highest	8.0Lowest
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.