What stands out worked out from the figures below

Corning has the most affordable homes ($168k median).

Milton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

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	Corning	Milton
People
Population	5,829Lowest	10,769Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±3.6 7% above U.S.	41.6±2.5 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	24.8%±4Highest U.S.: 22%	17.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Corning and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Corning and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Corning and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,482±$10kLowest 10% above U.S.	$118,977±$10kHighest 47% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$167,600±$14kLowest 50% below U.S.	$372,500±$20kHighest 12% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,289±$219Lowest 9% below U.S.	$1,536±$257Highest 9% above U.S.
	Milton and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,895Lowest 25% above U.S.	$5,610Highest 80% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±15Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	53.1%±20.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Milton and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	8.3%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.6%±2.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#393 of 484 in NY	#56 of 70 in VT
School district	CORNING CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	Milton School District
High school in town	CORNING PAINTED POST HIGH SCHOOL LEARNING CENTER	Milton Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	4.0Lowest	9.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.