What stands out worked out from the figures below

Independence has the most affordable homes ($101k median).

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	Independence	Sheldon
People
Population	756Lowest	2,216Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-1.7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	41.9±5.9Lowest 5% above NY	48.9±7.6Highest 23% above NY
	Sheldon and Independence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±4.6Highest NY: 20.5%	14.9%±3.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Independence and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±4.4Lowest NY: 17.9%	25%±3.2Highest NY: 17.9%
	Sheldon and Independence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	12.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%	13.7%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±3.9Highest NY: 7%	3.3%±2.8Lowest NY: 7%
	Independence and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,750±$15kLowest 20% below NY	$71,214±$5kHighest 17% below NY
	Sheldon and Independence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$100,800±$27kLowest 76% below NY	$175,900±$14kHighest 58% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$609±$84Lowest 62% below NY	$818±$84Highest 50% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,606Lowest 60% below NY	$3,037Highest 54% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20%±29.2Lowest NY: 52.1%	50.9%±21.3Highest NY: 52.1%
	Sheldon and Independence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.3%Lowest NY: 14%	11.8%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Highest NY: 54.3%	81.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 21 yrs newer than NY	1963Lowest 4 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 10% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	1.3%±1.5Lowest NY: 14.9%	2.2%±1.6Highest NY: 14.9%
	Sheldon and Independence 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.