What stands out worked out from the figures below

Durham has the highest household income ($81k).

Wardsboro has the most expensive homes ($299k 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	Durham	Wardsboro
People
Population	2,641Highest	820Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.8±5.1Lowest 25% above U.S.	51.6±7.3Highest 33% above U.S.
	Wardsboro and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.8%±6.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wardsboro and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.2%±7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	27.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wardsboro and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	38.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.9%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Durham and Wardsboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,471±$15kHighest about the U.S. average	$62,000±$6kLowest 23% below U.S.
	Durham and Wardsboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$26kLowest 26% below U.S.	$299,300±$47kHighest 10% below U.S.
	Wardsboro and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$994±$844Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,479±$224Highest 5% above U.S.
	Wardsboro and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,728Lowest 20% above U.S.	$4,345Highest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19.3%±40.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54.5%±58Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wardsboro and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	90.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 27% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	13%±7.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wardsboro and Durham 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	#100 of 484 in NY	—
School district	CAIRO-DURHAM CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	River Valleys Unified School District #73
High school in town	CAIRO-DURHAM HIGH SCHOOL	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	7.9	—
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.