What stands out worked out from the figures below

Burns has the most affordable homes ($101k median).

Columbus has the most people working from home (22.2%).

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	Burns	Columbus
People
Population	888Highest	849Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12.2%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-7.9%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	43.9±7.1Highest 10% above NY	43.6±11.8Lowest 10% above NY
	Burns and Columbus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±4.1Lowest NY: 20.5%	21.8%±9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Columbus and Burns are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.4%±4.9Highest NY: 17.9%	17.8%±6.1Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Burns and Columbus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17%Lowest NY: 40.2%	19.1%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.9Highest NY: 7%	2.8%±2.1Lowest NY: 7%
	Burns and Columbus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,491±$6kHighest 25% below NY	$58,889±$11kLowest 32% below NY
	Burns and Columbus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$100,800±$18kLowest 76% below NY	$124,700±$36kHighest 71% below NY
	Columbus and Burns are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$942±$139Lowest 42% below NY	$1,500±$635Highest 7% below NY
	Columbus and Burns are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,783Lowest 58% below NY	$3,071Highest 53% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.9%±48.9Lowest NY: 52.1%	53.6%±92.3Highest NY: 52.1%
	Columbus and Burns are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.6%Highest NY: 14%	9.6%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%	88.2%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 10 yrs newer than NY	1983Highest 24 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 16% below NY	32 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	3%±2.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	22.2%±16.1Highest NY: 14.9%
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.