What stands out worked out from the figures below

Jay has the most affordable homes ($197k median).

Andover has the most people working from home (29.6%).

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	Jay	Andover
People
Population	2,354Highest	616Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.8% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	48.8±4.6Lowest 25% above U.S.	49.2±5.1Highest 26% above U.S.
	Andover and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16%±4.1Highest U.S.: 22%	11.5%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Jay and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.3%±4.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.7%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Jay and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Andover and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,380±$19kLowest 10% below U.S.	$102,500±$38kHighest 27% above U.S.
	Andover and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$196,900±$22kLowest 41% below U.S.	$382,900±$68kHighest 15% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,272±$366Lowest 10% below U.S.	$1,389±$364Highest about the U.S. average
	Andover and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,741Lowest 20% above U.S.	$5,190Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.4%±21.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	69.4%±47.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Andover and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 8% above U.S.	25 minLowest 5% below U.S.
Work from home	8.8%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	29.6%±12.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	AUSABLE VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	—
High school 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.