What stands out worked out from the figures below

Caton has the highest household income ($111k).

Stafford has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.4%).

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	Caton	Stafford
People
Population	2,082Lowest	2,251Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-1.4%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	42.5±6.6Highest 7% above NY	41.9±2.2Lowest 5% above NY
	Caton and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±4.4Lowest NY: 20.5%	27.2%±4.8Highest NY: 20.5%
	Stafford and Caton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.3%±2.9Lowest NY: 17.9%	18.9%±3.8Highest NY: 17.9%
	Stafford and Caton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36%Highest NY: 40.2%	29.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±2.5Highest NY: 7%	1.3%±1.1Lowest NY: 7%
	Caton and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,536±$33kHighest 29% above NY	$87,554±$16kLowest about the NY average
	Caton and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$189,500±$21kHighest 55% below NY	$182,500±$17kLowest 57% below NY
	Caton and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$714±$499Lowest 56% below NY	$848±$230Highest 48% below NY
	Stafford and Caton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,572Lowest 31% below NY	$4,649Highest 29% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±96.6Lowest NY: 52.1%	33.3%±30.3Highest NY: 52.1%
	Stafford and Caton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Lowest NY: 14%	7.8%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.3%Highest NY: 54.3%	88.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 13 yrs newer than NY	1956Lowest 3 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 20% below NY	21 minLowest 35% below NY
Work from home	8.9%±4.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	9.8%±4.2Highest NY: 14.9%
	Stafford and Caton 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.