What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Plattsburgh has the most affordable homes ($180k 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	Plattsburgh
People
Population	10,769Lowest	11,830Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±2.5Lowest 7% above U.S.	45.2±1.9Highest 16% above U.S.
	Plattsburgh and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Plattsburgh 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%	23.7%±2.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	27.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Milton and Plattsburgh 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.	$71,546±$5kLowest 11% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$372,500±$20kHighest 12% above U.S.	$179,900±$11kLowest 46% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,536±$257Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,053±$86Lowest 25% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,610Highest 80% above U.S.	$3,573Lowest 15% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.1%±20.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.9%±12.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Milton and Plattsburgh 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%	10.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	76.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1980Lowest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	14.6%±2.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.6%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#56 of 70 in VT	#153 of 484 in NY
School district	Milton School District	BEEKMANTOWN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	Milton Senior High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3	—
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.