What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barton has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Van Etten has the most people working from home (10.5%).

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	Barton	Van Etten
People
Population	8,461Highest	1,328Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.8%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-1.2%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	46.3±3.9Highest 16% above NY	41.7±4.1Lowest 5% above NY
	Barton and Van Etten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±3.5Lowest NY: 20.5%	24.3%±5.2Highest NY: 20.5%
	Van Etten and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.7%±3.2Highest NY: 17.9%	18.7%±3.3Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Barton and Van Etten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.8%Lowest NY: 40.2%	23.5%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.6Highest NY: 7%	2.6%±1.6Lowest NY: 7%
	Barton and Van Etten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,799±$9kLowest 36% below NY	$61,620±$6kHighest 28% below NY
	Van Etten and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$141,000±$11kLowest 67% below NY	$146,500±$18kHighest 65% below NY
	Van Etten and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$956±$109Lowest 41% below NY	$1,071±$183Highest 34% below NY
	Van Etten and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,310Highest 50% below NY	$3,010Lowest 54% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±13.6Highest NY: 52.1%	47.4%±29.5Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Barton and Van Etten are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.6%Highest NY: 14%	12.5%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.1%Lowest NY: 54.3%	79.2%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Highest 5 yrs newer than NY	1963Lowest 4 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 38% below NY	34 minHighest 4% above NY
Work from home	1.7%±1.5Lowest NY: 14.9%	10.5%±4.5Highest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#251 of 484 in NY	—
School district	WAVERLY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	SPENCER-VAN ETTEN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	WAVERLY HIGH SCHOOL	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6	—
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.