What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sand Lake has the most expensive homes ($336k median).

Berlin has the most affordable homes ($215k 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	Sand Lake	Berlin
People
Population	8,326Highest	1,960Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.1%Highest NY: +4.2%	-3.8%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	47.9±4.7Highest 20% above NY	41.3±5.3Lowest 4% above NY
	Sand Lake and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.1%±4.9Highest NY: 20.5%	21.5%±5.2Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Sand Lake and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±4.6Highest NY: 17.9%	17.1%±3.7Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Sand Lake and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Highest NY: 40.2%	24.6%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.5Lowest NY: 7%	6.1%±2.6Highest NY: 7%
	Berlin and Sand Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$120,089±$23kHighest 40% above NY	$80,313±$25kLowest 7% below NY
	Sand Lake and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,200±$28kHighest 21% below NY	$214,600±$22kLowest 49% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,033±$199Lowest 36% below NY	$1,160±$309Highest 28% below NY
	Berlin and Sand Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,341Highest 4% below NY	$3,518Lowest 47% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	23.7%±12.3Highest NY: 52.1%	19.7%±17.9Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Sand Lake and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.1%Lowest NY: 14%	6.6%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.2%Highest NY: 54.3%	80%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 17 yrs newer than NY	1964Lowest 5 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 24% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	18.4%±5.4Highest NY: 14.9%	12.9%±7.2Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Sand Lake and Berlin 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	#13 of 484 in NY	—
School district	AVERILL PARK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	BERLIN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	AVERILL PARK HIGH SCHOOL	BERLIN MIDDLE SCHOOL/HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	14.9Highest	8.0Lowest
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.