What stands out worked out from the figures below

Milton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

Corning has the most affordable homes ($168k 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	Milton	Corning
People
Population	10,769Highest	5,829Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±2.5 7% above U.S.	41.6±3.6 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	17.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	24.8%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Corning and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Corning and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	38%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Corning and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$118,977±$10kHighest 47% above U.S.	$88,482±$10kLowest 10% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$372,500±$20kHighest 12% above U.S.	$167,600±$14kLowest 50% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,536±$257Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,289±$219Lowest 9% below U.S.
	Milton and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,610Highest 80% above U.S.	$3,895Lowest 25% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.1%±20.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.1%±15Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Milton and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	14.6%±2.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.3%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#56 of 70 in VT	#393 of 484 in NY
School district	Milton School District	CORNING CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	Milton Senior High School	CORNING PAINTED POST HIGH SCHOOL LEARNING CENTER
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3Highest	4.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.