What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orange has the most people working from home (8.1%).

Sheldon has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.7%).

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	Orange	Sheldon
People
Population	1,196Lowest	2,216Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12.5%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-1.7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	46.6±6.3Lowest 17% above NY	48.9±7.6Highest 23% above NY
	Sheldon and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±4Highest NY: 20.5%	14.9%±3.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Orange and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.1Lowest NY: 17.9%	25%±3.2Highest NY: 17.9%
	Sheldon and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.8%Highest NY: 40.2%	13.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±1.7Lowest NY: 7%	3.3%±2.8Highest NY: 7%
	Sheldon and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,000±$9kLowest 30% below NY	$71,214±$5kHighest 17% below NY
	Sheldon and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$119,200±$17kLowest 72% below NY	$175,900±$14kHighest 58% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$932±$81Highest 43% below NY	$818±$84Lowest 50% below NY
	Orange and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,667Lowest 59% below NY	$3,037Highest 54% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.1%±42.6Highest NY: 52.1%	50.9%±21.3Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Orange and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.7%Highest NY: 14%	11.8%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.9%Highest NY: 54.3%	81.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 20 yrs newer than NY	1963Lowest 4 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 8% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	8.1%±4.3Highest NY: 14.9%	2.2%±1.6Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Orange and Sheldon 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.