What stands out worked out from the figures below

Poland has the most expensive homes ($129k median).

Madison has the shortest commute (24 min average).

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	Poland	Madison
People
Population	449Highest	403Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.7% NY: +4.2%	—
Median age	29.8±5.2Highest 25% below NY	28±7.8Lowest 30% below NY
	Poland and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	34.1%±5.4Lowest NY: 20.5%	35%±19.1Highest NY: 20.5%
	Madison and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	12.5%±2.7Highest NY: 17.9%	11.2%±8.3Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Poland and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.6%Lowest NY: 40.2%	24.3%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±3.5Highest NY: 7%	1.7%±1.8Lowest NY: 7%
	Poland and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,250±$20kHighest 29% below NY	$54,063±$21kLowest 37% below NY
	Poland and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$129,200±$31kHighest 70% below NY	$107,800±$41kLowest 75% below NY
	Poland and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$782±$27Lowest 52% below NY	$942±$699Highest 42% below NY
	Madison and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,333Highest 65% below NY	$1,893Lowest 71% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.3%±27.1Highest NY: 52.1%	60.8%±47.5Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Poland and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.4%Lowest NY: 14%	24.1%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66.5%Highest NY: 54.3%	62.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1944Highest 15 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 12% below NY	24 minLowest 28% below NY
Work from home	6.5%±3.9Lowest NY: 14.9%	6.7%±7.2Highest NY: 14.9%
	Madison and Poland 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	—	#392 of 484 in NY
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.