What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sparta has the highest household income ($88k).

North Dansville has the most people working from home (9.8%).

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	Sparta	North Dansville
People
Population	1,479Lowest	5,242Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.5%Highest NY: +4.2%	-3.9%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	49.7±4.4Highest 25% above NY	48.2±4.7Lowest 21% above NY
	Sparta and North Dansville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±3.1Highest NY: 20.5%	15.7%±3.4Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Sparta and North Dansville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±2.8Lowest NY: 17.9%	26.3%±5.4Highest NY: 17.9%
	North Dansville and Sparta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.9%Highest NY: 40.2%	18.5%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.8Highest NY: 7%	1.4%±1.2Lowest NY: 7%
	Sparta and North Dansville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$87,663±$6kHighest about the NY average	$57,265±$6kLowest 33% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$168,800±$27kHighest 60% below NY	$116,500±$9kLowest 73% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,139±$164Highest 30% below NY	$875±$173Lowest 46% below NY
	Sparta and North Dansville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,596Highest 45% below NY	$3,443Lowest 48% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%	66.8%±16.3Highest NY: 52.1%
	North Dansville and Sparta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.8%Highest NY: 14%	6.3%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.4%Highest NY: 54.3%	74.2%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 20 yrs newer than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 8% below NY	26 minLowest 20% below NY
Work from home	4.6%±2.3Lowest NY: 14.9%	9.8%±4.4Highest NY: 14.9%
	North Dansville and Sparta 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	—	#354 of 484 in NY
School district	—	DANSVILLE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	DANSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.7
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.