What stands out worked out from the figures below

Burke has the most people working from home (8.4%).

Sheldon has the most expensive homes ($176k median).

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	Burke	Sheldon
People
Population	1,284Lowest	2,216Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-1.7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	39.3±5.3Lowest about the NY average	48.9±7.6Highest 23% above NY
	Sheldon and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	28.9%±3.9Highest NY: 20.5%	14.9%±3.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
Age 65+	13.1%±1.8Lowest NY: 17.9%	25%±3.2Highest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	11.2%Lowest NY: 40.2%	13.7%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.4Lowest NY: 7%	3.3%±2.8Highest NY: 7%
	Sheldon and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,750±$8kLowest 26% below NY	$71,214±$5kHighest 17% below NY
	Sheldon and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$122,700±$20kLowest 71% below NY	$175,900±$14kHighest 58% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$866±$31Highest 47% below NY	$818±$84Lowest 50% below NY
	Burke and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,199Lowest 67% below NY	$3,037Highest 54% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.2%±35.8Highest NY: 52.1%	50.9%±21.3Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Burke and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.5%Highest NY: 14%	11.8%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83%Highest NY: 54.3%	81.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 20 yrs newer than NY	1963Lowest 4 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 14% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	8.4%±4.8Highest NY: 14.9%	2.2%±1.6Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Burke 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.