What stands out worked out from the figures below

Clifton has the most affordable homes ($111k median).

Java has the highest household income ($95k).

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	Clifton	Java
People
Population	768Lowest	2,049Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-10.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-4.1%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	46.9±3.2Highest 18% above NY	44.2±5.5Lowest 11% above NY
	Clifton and Java are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±5.1Highest NY: 20.5%	20.7%±4.7Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Clifton and Java are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.5%±2.5Highest NY: 17.9%	19.5%±3.6Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Clifton and Java are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.1%Lowest NY: 40.2%	24.6%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.5%±1.9Lowest NY: 7%	3%±2.4Highest NY: 7%
	Java and Clifton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$47,228±$10kLowest 45% below NY	$95,129±$24kHighest 11% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$111,200±$12kLowest 74% below NY	$223,900±$30kHighest 47% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$806±$211Lowest 50% below NY	$863±$419Highest 47% below NY
	Java and Clifton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,378Lowest 64% below NY	$3,775Highest 43% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	28.9%±43.1Highest NY: 52.1%	2.5%±61.4Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Clifton and Java are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.4%Highest NY: 14%	3.7%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%	95.2%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Highest 1 yr newer than NY	1956Lowest 3 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 3% above NY	27 minLowest 17% below NY
Work from home	9.9%±5.4Highest NY: 14.9%	9%±4.4Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Clifton and Java 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.