What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athens has the most people working from home (15.3%).

Cambridge has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3.4%).

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	Athens	Cambridge
People
Population	1,943Highest	1,912Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.9%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-3.4%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	45.4±8.1Lowest 14% above NY	46.4±4Highest 17% above NY
	Cambridge and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.4%±4.4Lowest NY: 20.5%	19.1%±5.3Highest NY: 20.5%
	Cambridge and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.8%±3.2Highest NY: 17.9%	23.4%±5.7Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Athens and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%	40.6%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.8Highest NY: 7%	2.2%±1.6Lowest NY: 7%
	Athens and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,107±$22kLowest about the NY average	$87,796±$14kHighest about the NY average
	Cambridge and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,600±$20kHighest 23% below NY	$300,300±$41kLowest 29% below NY
	Athens and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,146±$475Highest 29% below NY	$1,064±$103Lowest 34% below NY
	Athens and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,509Lowest 16% below NY	$6,317Highest 4% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.6%±15.6Lowest NY: 52.1%	48.7%±41.2Highest NY: 52.1%
	Cambridge and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.1%Highest NY: 14%	8.7%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.1%Highest NY: 54.3%	75.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 5 yrs older than NY	1957Highest 2 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 13% below NY	32 minHighest 3% below NY
Work from home	15.3%±4.8Highest NY: 14.9%	10.7%±5.1Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Athens and Cambridge 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	#261 of 484 in NY	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.