What stands out worked out from the figures below

Panton has the most people working from home (26.7%).

Hancock has the most affordable homes ($161k 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	Panton	Hancock
People
Population	690Lowest	2,769Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-14.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.7±3.8Lowest 10% above U.S.	54.3±5.7Highest 40% above U.S.
Kids under 18	24.9%±5.3Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16.7%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	22.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hancock and Panton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,667±$10kHighest 7% above U.S.	$62,243±$11kLowest 23% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$438,000±$40kHighest 32% above U.S.	$161,100±$8kLowest 52% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,410±$130Highest about the U.S. average	$1,052±$172Lowest 26% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,695Highest 115% above U.S.	$2,584Lowest 17% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61%±39Highest U.S.: 51.1%	59%±13.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Panton and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	76.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	30 minHighest 13% above U.S.
Work from home	26.7%±8.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#471 of 484 in NY
School district	—	HANCOCK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	HANCOCK JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.9
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.