What stands out worked out from the figures below

Milan has the highest household income ($104k).

Shandaken has the most affordable homes ($346k 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	Milan	Shandaken
People
Population	2,301Lowest	2,789Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Highest NY: +4.2%	-7.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	50.8±4.7Lowest 28% above NY	54.1±4.8Highest 36% above NY
	Shandaken and Milan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±3.6Highest NY: 20.5%	10%±4.8Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Milan and Shandaken are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±3.4Lowest NY: 17.9%	28.9%±6.2Highest NY: 17.9%
	Shandaken and Milan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.8%Lowest NY: 40.2%	52.7%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.3Highest NY: 7%	1.8%±2.3Lowest NY: 7%
	Milan and Shandaken are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,318±$25kHighest 21% above NY	$66,031±$15kLowest 23% below NY
	Milan and Shandaken are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$456,800±$59kHighest 8% above NY	$346,100±$39kLowest 18% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,515±$351Highest 7% below NY	$1,191±$344Lowest 27% below NY
	Milan and Shandaken are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,946Highest 21% above NY	$4,233Lowest 36% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.3%±21.1Lowest NY: 52.1%	54.2%±22.4Highest NY: 52.1%
	Shandaken and Milan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.9%Lowest NY: 14%	19.9%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest NY: 54.3%	79.2%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 21 yrs newer than NY	1952Lowest 7 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 19% below NY	31 minHighest 4% below NY
Work from home	19.7%±8.2Lowest NY: 14.9%	24.1%±9.9Highest NY: 14.9%
	Shandaken and Milan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.