What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ripton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+25.7%).

Caroga has the most affordable homes ($172k 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	Ripton	Caroga
People
Population	508Lowest	983Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+25.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.7±14.2Lowest 23% above U.S.	55.4±5.3Highest 42% above U.S.
	Caroga and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.8%±6.3Highest U.S.: 22%	10.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Ripton and Caroga are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	29.2%±6.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ripton and Caroga are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	16.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	20.1%±6.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,917±$15kHighest 40% above U.S.	$65,395±$18kLowest 19% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,400±$61kHighest 19% above U.S.	$172,300±$25kLowest 48% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,915Highest 58% above U.S.	$2,547Lowest 18% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	21.1%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ripton and Caroga are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1948Lowest 32 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.
Work from home	17.2%±8.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	3.6%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55	WHEELERVILLE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.