What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sheldon has the most affordable homes ($176k median).

Wales has the most people working from home (7.2%).

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	Sheldon	Wales
People
Population	2,216Lowest	3,015Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.7%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+0.1%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	48.9±7.6Highest 23% above NY	43.9±6.6Lowest 10% above NY
	Sheldon and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.9%±3.9Lowest NY: 20.5%	25.2%±5.8Highest NY: 20.5%
Age 65+	25%±3.2Highest NY: 17.9%	22.1%±5.7Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Sheldon and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%	25.4%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±2.8Highest NY: 7%	0.8%±0.7Lowest NY: 7%
	Sheldon and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,214±$5kLowest 17% below NY	$88,590±$19kHighest 3% above NY
	Wales and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$175,900±$14kLowest 58% below NY	$244,800±$33kHighest 42% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$818±$84Lowest 50% below NY	$950±$503Highest 41% below NY
	Wales and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,037Lowest 54% below NY	$4,782Highest 27% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±21.3Highest NY: 52.1%	20.5%±27.8Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Sheldon and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.8%Highest NY: 14%	4.3%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%	88.8%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 4 yrs newer than NY	1971Highest 12 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest about the NY average	25 minLowest 25% below NY
Work from home	2.2%±1.6Lowest NY: 14.9%	7.2%±3.4Highest NY: 14.9%
	Wales and Sheldon 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	—	#321 of 484 in NY
School district	—	IROQUOIS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	None in town
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.