What stands out worked out from the figures below

Massena has the most affordable homes ($94k 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	Massena	Ripton
People
Population	10,238Highest	508Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+25.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±4.7Lowest 10% above U.S.	47.7±14.2Highest 23% above U.S.
	Ripton and Massena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%	11.8%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Massena and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ripton and Massena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	48%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	20.1%±6.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,458±$7kLowest 36% below U.S.	$112,917±$15kHighest 40% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$94,400±$15kLowest 72% below U.S.	$394,400±$61kHighest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$722±$44 49% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,218Lowest 3% above U.S.	$4,915Highest 58% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.8%±11.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	52.9%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Massena and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	24.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.	24 minHighest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	5.2%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.2%±8.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	—	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
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.