What stands out worked out from the figures below

Carlton has the most affordable homes ($159k median).

Jay has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.8%).

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	Carlton	Jay
People
Population	2,808Highest	2,354Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-0.8%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	51.1±2.6Highest 28% above NY	48.8±4.6Lowest 23% above NY
	Carlton and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14%±3.8Lowest NY: 20.5%	16%±4.1Highest NY: 20.5%
	Jay and Carlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±3.9Lowest NY: 17.9%	25.3%±4.8Highest NY: 17.9%
	Jay and Carlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.8%Lowest NY: 40.2%	31.4%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.3%±3.7Highest NY: 7%	1.7%±1.7Lowest NY: 7%
	Carlton and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,678±$12kHighest 5% below NY	$72,380±$19kLowest 16% below NY
	Carlton and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$158,800±$13kLowest 63% below NY	$196,900±$22kHighest 54% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$804±$243Lowest 50% below NY	$1,272±$366Highest 22% below NY
	Jay and Carlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,646Lowest 45% below NY	$3,741Highest 43% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.7%±30.1Lowest NY: 52.1%	27.4%±21.1Highest NY: 52.1%
	Jay and Carlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.7%Highest NY: 14%	6.7%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest NY: 54.3%	88.4%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 12 yrs older than NY	1977Highest 18 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 10% below NY	28 minLowest 13% below NY
Work from home	10%±6.1Highest NY: 14.9%	8.8%±3.2Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Carlton and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	AUSABLE VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	None in town
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.