What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Elba has the most people working from home (16.7%).

Harrietstown has the most affordable homes ($209k 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	North Elba	Harrietstown
People
Population	7,540Highest	5,222Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-16.5%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-8%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	42.1±3.6Lowest 6% above NY	44.1±3.9Highest 11% above NY
	Harrietstown and North Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.5%±2.6Lowest NY: 20.5%	18%±4.2Highest NY: 20.5%
	Harrietstown and North Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.3%±3Lowest NY: 17.9%	23.6%±4Highest NY: 17.9%
	Harrietstown and North Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%	43.4%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.4Highest NY: 7%	3.8%±1.6Lowest NY: 7%
	North Elba and Harrietstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,843±$10kHighest 15% below NY	$66,460±$5kLowest 23% below NY
	North Elba and Harrietstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$431,600±$53kHighest about the NY average	$209,000±$31kLowest 51% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,073±$71Highest 34% below NY	$847±$34Lowest 48% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,315Highest 19% below NY	$3,950Lowest 40% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.2%±15.9Highest NY: 52.1%	33.7%±11.3Lowest NY: 52.1%
	North Elba and Harrietstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.5%Lowest NY: 14%	16.8%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	60.8%Highest NY: 54.3%	58.5%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 17 yrs newer than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 min 56% below NY	15 min 56% below NY
Work from home	16.7%±4.9Highest NY: 14.9%	7.5%±4.6Lowest NY: 14.9%
	North Elba and Harrietstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#310 of 484 in NY	#210 of 484 in NY
School district	LAKE PLACID CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	SARANAC LAKE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	LAKE PLACID JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	SARANAC LAKE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	7.1Lowest	9.0Highest
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.