What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arkwright has the most affordable homes ($171k median).

Rensselaerville has the most people working from home (13.8%).

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	Arkwright	Rensselaerville
People
Population	859Lowest	1,901Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-0.9%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	50.8±7.2Lowest 28% above NY	54±3.3Highest 36% above NY
	Rensselaerville and Arkwright are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±5.4Highest NY: 20.5%	14%±2.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Arkwright and Rensselaerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.2%±3.1Lowest NY: 17.9%	30.1%±6.6Highest NY: 17.9%
	Rensselaerville and Arkwright are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%	40.1%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.6Highest NY: 7%	1.3%±1.6Lowest NY: 7%
	Arkwright and Rensselaerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,000±$26kHighest 8% above NY	$90,324±$26kLowest 5% above NY
	Arkwright and Rensselaerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$170,900±$30kLowest 60% below NY	$259,800±$36kHighest 39% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$875±$689Lowest 46% below NY	$1,264±$152Highest 22% below NY
	Rensselaerville and Arkwright are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,760Lowest 43% below NY	$5,247Highest 20% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±65.2Highest NY: 52.1%	14.7%±61.5Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Arkwright and Rensselaerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.2%Highest NY: 14%	0.8%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%	89.9%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 20 yrs newer than NY	1972Lowest 13 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 18% below NY	38 minHighest 16% above NY
Work from home	6%±3.7Lowest NY: 14.9%	13.8%±6.3Highest NY: 14.9%
	Rensselaerville and Arkwright 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.