What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dansville has the most people working from home (7.9%).

Sheldon has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.7%).

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	Dansville	Sheldon
People
Population	4,653Highest	2,216Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-1.7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	45.2±3.7Lowest 14% above NY	48.9±7.6Highest 23% above NY
	Sheldon and Dansville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17%±3.8Highest NY: 20.5%	14.9%±3.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Dansville and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.2%±5.4Lowest NY: 17.9%	25%±3.2Highest NY: 17.9%
	Sheldon and Dansville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.6%Highest NY: 40.2%	13.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±1.2Lowest NY: 7%	3.3%±2.8Highest NY: 7%
	Sheldon and Dansville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,329±$7kLowest 33% below NY	$71,214±$5kHighest 17% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$118,600±$10kLowest 72% below NY	$175,900±$14kHighest 58% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$906±$168Highest 44% below NY	$818±$84Lowest 50% below NY
	Dansville and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,529Highest 46% below NY	$3,037Lowest 54% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69%±16.9Highest NY: 52.1%	50.9%±21.3Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Dansville and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.7%Lowest NY: 14%	11.8%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72%Lowest NY: 54.3%	81.6%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1963Highest 4 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 19% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	7.9%±4.5Highest NY: 14.9%	2.2%±1.6Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Dansville and Sheldon 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.