What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cohoes has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).

Thompson has the most homeowners (46.4%).

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	Cohoes	Thompson
People
Population	18,159Highest	16,714Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.2%Highest NY: +4.2%	+8.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	38.6±2.6Lowest 3% below NY	40.4±3.9Highest about the NY average
	Thompson and Cohoes are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.1Lowest NY: 20.5%	22.3%±2.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Thompson and Cohoes are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.8%±2.1Lowest NY: 17.9%	20.1%±2.8Highest NY: 17.9%
	Thompson and Cohoes are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.6%Highest NY: 40.2%	25.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.6%±2.1Highest NY: 7%	4.5%±1.4Lowest NY: 7%
	Cohoes and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,145±$6kLowest 29% below NY	$65,021±$10kHighest 24% below NY
	Thompson and Cohoes are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$223,400±$9kLowest 47% below NY	$229,000±$19kHighest 46% below NY
	Thompson and Cohoes are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,251±$111Highest 23% below NY	$1,126±$109Lowest 31% below NY
	Cohoes and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,379Lowest 33% below NY	$5,079Highest 23% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±8.8Lowest NY: 52.1%	49.9%±9.2Highest NY: 52.1%
	Thompson and Cohoes are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	25.9%Highest NY: 14%	21.6%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	39.5%Lowest NY: 54.3%	46.4%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 5 yrs older than NY	1974Highest 15 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 24% below NY	25 minLowest 24% below NY
Work from home	11.6%±3.3Highest NY: 14.9%	8%±2.7Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Cohoes and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#312 of 484 in NY	#452 of 484 in NY
School district	COHOES CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	MONTICELLO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	COHOES HIGH SCHOOL	MONTICELLO HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	11.5Highest	10.5Lowest
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.