What stands out worked out from the figures below

Jay has the most affordable homes ($197k 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	Jay	Ripton
People
Population	2,354Highest	508Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+25.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.8±4.6Highest 25% above U.S.	47.7±14.2Lowest 23% above U.S.
	Jay and Ripton 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%	11.8%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Jay and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.3%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ripton and Jay 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%	48%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	20.1%±6.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,380±$19kLowest 10% below U.S.	$112,917±$15kHighest 40% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$196,900±$22kLowest 41% below U.S.	$394,400±$61kHighest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,272±$366 10% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,741Lowest 20% above U.S.	$4,915Highest 58% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.4%±21.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.9%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ripton 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 U.S.: 12.5%	8.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 8% above U.S.	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	8.8%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.2%±8.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ripton and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	AUSABLE 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.