What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dickinson has the most affordable homes ($147k median).

Ripton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+25.7%).

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	Dickinson	Ripton
People
Population	5,001Highest	508Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+25.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.7±3.3Lowest 10% above U.S.	47.7±14.2Highest 23% above U.S.
	Ripton and Dickinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%	11.8%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Dickinson and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ripton and Dickinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	48%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	20.1%±6.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,864±$14kLowest 4% below U.S.	$112,917±$15kHighest 40% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$147,400±$17kLowest 56% below U.S.	$394,400±$61kHighest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$941±$68 33% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,523Lowest 13% above U.S.	$4,915Highest 58% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.8%±13.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.9%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ripton and Dickinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	24 minHighest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	14.4%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.2%±8.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ripton and Dickinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	CHENANGO VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.