What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Cairo has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.4%).

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	Cairo
People
Population	2,354Lowest	6,700Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.8%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-0.4%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	48.8±4.6Highest 23% above NY	44.2±4.2Lowest 11% above NY
	Jay and Cairo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16%±4.1Lowest NY: 20.5%	17.9%±3.5Highest NY: 20.5%
	Cairo and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.3%±4.8Highest NY: 17.9%	22.9%±4.2Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Jay and Cairo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.4%Highest NY: 40.2%	28.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.7%±1.7Lowest NY: 7%	3.7%±1.5Highest NY: 7%
	Cairo 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 16% below NY	$79,643±$22kHighest 7% below NY
	Cairo 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 54% below NY	$263,400±$18kHighest 38% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,272±$366Highest 22% below NY	$1,015±$305Lowest 37% below NY
	Jay and Cairo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,741Lowest 43% below NY	$4,246Highest 35% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.4%±21.1Lowest NY: 52.1%	45.1%±16.2Highest NY: 52.1%
	Cairo and Jay 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%	10.5%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.4%Highest NY: 54.3%	75.2%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 18 yrs newer than NY	1973Lowest 14 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 13% below NY	29 minHighest 13% below NY
Work from home	8.8%±3.2Lowest NY: 14.9%	11.1%±6.2Highest NY: 14.9%
	Cairo and Jay 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	—	#461 of 484 in NY
School district	AUSABLE VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	CAIRO-DURHAM CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.