What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ashford has the most people working from home (7.1%).

Sheldon has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.7%).

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	Ashford	Sheldon
People
Population	1,834Lowest	2,216Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-1.7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	52.3±6.9Highest 31% above NY	48.9±7.6Lowest 23% above NY
	Ashford and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±5Highest NY: 20.5%	14.9%±3.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Ashford and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.3%±3.5Lowest NY: 17.9%	25%±3.2Highest NY: 17.9%
	Sheldon and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.1%Highest NY: 40.2%	13.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1%±0.8Lowest NY: 7%	3.3%±2.8Highest NY: 7%
	Sheldon and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,558±$11kHighest 10% below NY	$71,214±$5kLowest 17% below NY
	Ashford and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$194,600±$43kHighest 54% below NY	$175,900±$14kLowest 58% below NY
	Ashford and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$654±$132Lowest 60% below NY	$818±$84Highest 50% below NY
	Sheldon and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,079Highest 38% below NY	$3,037Lowest 54% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19.4%±79.6Lowest NY: 52.1%	50.9%±21.3Highest NY: 52.1%
	Sheldon and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest NY: 14%	11.8%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92%Highest NY: 54.3%	81.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 1 yr newer than NY	1963Highest 4 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 7% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	7.1%±5.1Highest NY: 14.9%	2.2%±1.6Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Ashford and Sheldon 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.