What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charleston has the highest household income ($91k).

Covington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.7%).

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	Charleston	Covington
People
Population	1,394Lowest	1,409Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.3%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+1.7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	39.3±5Highest about the NY average	37.5±3.1Lowest 6% below NY
	Charleston and Covington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.1%±5.5Lowest NY: 20.5%	29.7%±5.2Highest NY: 20.5%
	Covington and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	10.3%±2.4Lowest NY: 17.9%	14.3%±1.9Highest NY: 17.9%
	Covington and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.3%Highest NY: 40.2%	18.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±2.7Highest NY: 7%	2.5%±2.9Lowest NY: 7%
	Charleston and Covington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,417±$9kHighest 6% above NY	$68,125±$14kLowest 21% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,200±$23kHighest 57% below NY	$160,300±$17kLowest 62% below NY
	Charleston and Covington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,250±$360Highest 23% below NY	$892±$441Lowest 45% below NY
	Charleston and Covington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,415Highest 33% below NY	$3,750Lowest 43% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±49.8Highest NY: 52.1%	31.6%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Charleston and Covington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest NY: 14%	4.8%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%	93.3%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 21 yrs newer than NY	1962Lowest 3 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 5% above NY	20 minLowest 38% below NY
Work from home	7.5%±3.9Highest NY: 14.9%	5.9%±3Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Charleston and Covington 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.