What stands out worked out from the figures below

Columbia has the most people working from home (9%).

Newburgh has the most expensive homes ($245k median).

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	Columbia	Newburgh
People
Population	529Lowest	1,475Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.8% ME: +2.6%
Median age	41.9±6.4Lowest 6% below ME	45.8±5.7Highest about the ME average
	Newburgh and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.2%±4.7Highest ME: 18.1%	18.8%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Columbia and Newburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.9%±5.9Highest ME: 22.4%	21.4%±2.4Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Columbia and Newburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%	29.9%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.1%±4.6Highest ME: 5.8%	4.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Columbia and Newburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,667±$15kLowest 24% below ME	$76,750±$10kHighest about the ME average
	Newburgh and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$158,700±$19kLowest 46% below ME	$244,600±$20kHighest 18% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$894±$162Lowest 22% below ME	$950±$219Highest 17% below ME
	Newburgh and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,226Lowest 60% below ME	$2,748Highest 9% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.9%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	42.9%±13.9Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Columbia and Newburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.4%Highest ME: 10.7%	11.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	81.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 10 yrs newer than ME	1985Lowest 8 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 27% above ME	30 minLowest 23% above ME
Work from home	9%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9%	6.4%±3.3Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Columbia and Newburgh 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

ME 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.