What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cairo has the most affordable homes ($263k median).

Wappinger has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.3%).

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	Cairo	Wappinger
People
Population	6,700Lowest	28,252Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.4%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+4.3%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	44.2±4.2Highest 11% above NY	43.9±1.8Lowest 10% above NY
	Cairo and Wappinger are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.9%±3.5Lowest NY: 20.5%	18.3%±1.8Highest NY: 20.5%
	Wappinger and Cairo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.2Highest NY: 17.9%	20.2%±2.1Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Cairo and Wappinger are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%	36%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.5Lowest NY: 7%	6.1%±1.1Highest NY: 7%
	Wappinger and Cairo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,643±$22kLowest 7% below NY	$95,234±$10kHighest 11% above NY
	Wappinger and Cairo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kLowest 38% below NY	$394,800±$11kHighest 7% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,015±$305Lowest 37% below NY	$1,708±$94Highest 5% above NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,246Lowest 35% below NY	$6,236Highest 5% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.1%±16.2Lowest NY: 52.1%	45.7%±7.7Highest NY: 52.1%
	Wappinger and Cairo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.5%Highest NY: 14%	5.4%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.2%Highest NY: 54.3%	63.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 14 yrs newer than NY	1971Lowest 12 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 13% below NY	28 minLowest 13% below NY
Work from home	11.1%±6.2Lowest NY: 14.9%	13.2%±2.5Highest NY: 14.9%
	Wappinger and Cairo 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	#461 of 484 in NY	#93 of 484 in NY
School district	CAIRO-DURHAM CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	WAPPINGERS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	None in town	ROY C KETCHAM SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	13.4
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.