What stands out worked out from the figures below

Long Island has the most expensive homes ($551k median).

Wayne has the most affordable homes ($363k 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	Long Island	Wayne
People
Population	249Lowest	1,101Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-5% ME: +2.6%
Median age	47.5±10.6Lowest 6% above ME	55.6±5.3Highest 24% above ME
	Wayne and Long Island are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.1%±11.5Highest ME: 18.1%	13.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Long Island and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.9%±3.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	29.2%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Wayne and Long Island are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.3%Highest ME: 36.2%	48.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	6.5%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Wayne and Long Island are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,250±$29kLowest 22% above ME	$93,194±$26kHighest 25% above ME
	Wayne and Long Island are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$551,100±$122kHighest 86% above ME	$362,800±$29kLowest 22% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,194±$226Highest 93% above ME	$983±$554Lowest 14% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,357Highest 11% above ME	$3,289Lowest 8% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	88.9%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	25%±52.1Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Long Island and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%	7.9%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 8% above ME	30 minHighest 24% above ME
Work from home	22.8%±13Lowest ME: 15.9%	26.2%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Wayne and Long Island are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Long Island Public Schools	RSU 38
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.