What stands out worked out from the figures below

Olive has the highest household income ($114k).

Shandaken has the most renters (20.8% rent).

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	Olive	Shandaken
People
Population	4,254Highest	2,789Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.4%Highest NY: +4.2%	-7.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	49.4±1.5Lowest 24% above NY	54.1±4.8Highest 36% above NY
	Shandaken and Olive are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.8Highest NY: 20.5%	10%±4.8Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Olive and Shandaken are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.8%±5.7Lowest NY: 17.9%	28.9%±6.2Highest NY: 17.9%
	Shandaken and Olive are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.5%Lowest NY: 40.2%	52.7%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±3.4Highest NY: 7%	1.8%±2.3Lowest NY: 7%
	Olive and Shandaken are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$114,018±$29kHighest 33% above NY	$66,031±$15kLowest 23% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$375,100±$33kHighest 11% below NY	$346,100±$39kLowest 18% below NY
	Olive and Shandaken are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,149±$321Highest 33% above NY	$1,191±$344Lowest 27% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,923Lowest 40% below NY	$4,233Highest 36% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.4%±19Highest NY: 52.1%	54.2%±22.4Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Olive and Shandaken are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Lowest NY: 14%	19.9%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.4%Highest NY: 54.3%	79.2%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 16 yrs newer than NY	1952Lowest 7 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 9% below NY	31 minHighest 4% below NY
Work from home	31.1%±7.9Highest NY: 14.9%	24.1%±9.9Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Olive and Shandaken 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	#253 of 484 in NY	—
School district	ONTEORA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	—
High school in town	ONTEORA HIGH SCHOOL	—
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9	—
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.