What stands out worked out from the figures below

Clare has the shortest commute (23 min average).

Russell has the most people working from home (11.9%).

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	Clare	Russell
People
Population	80Lowest	2,091Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.9% NY: +4.2%
Median age	37.5±12.2Highest 6% below NY	35.9±4.6Lowest 10% below NY
	Clare and Russell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	26.3%±37Highest NY: 20.5%	25.9%±4.2Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Clare and Russell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±30.7Highest NY: 17.9%	17.2%±0.3Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Clare and Russell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	7.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%	19.6%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±24.7Lowest NY: 7%	1.4%±0.8Highest NY: 7%
	Russell and Clare are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$65,189±$3k 24% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$87,500±$48kLowest 79% below NY	$110,400±$10kHighest 74% below NY
	Russell and Clare are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$906±$123 44% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,531Lowest 77% below NY	$2,235Highest 66% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%	30.7%±27.8Highest NY: 52.1%
	Russell and Clare are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	38.8%Highest NY: 14%	20.7%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Highest NY: 54.3%	82.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 2 yrs newer than NY	1981Highest 22 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 29% below NY	34 minHighest 3% above NY
Work from home	0%±45.2Lowest NY: 14.9%	11.9%±6.1Highest NY: 14.9%
	Russell and Clare are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	EDWARDS-KNOX CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	EDWARDS-KNOX JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.8
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.