What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stanford has the most affordable homes ($424k median).

Gardiner has the most people working from home (17.2%).

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	Stanford	Gardiner
People
Population	3,692Lowest	5,645Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.7%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-1.8%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	51.3±5.1Highest 29% above NY	48.7±6.1Lowest 22% above NY
	Stanford and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.9%±4.4Lowest NY: 20.5%	19.1%±5.7Highest NY: 20.5%
	Gardiner and Stanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±4.4Highest NY: 17.9%	16.4%±4.6Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Stanford and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.7%Highest NY: 40.2%	43.3%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±2.4Lowest NY: 7%	4%±2.9Highest NY: 7%
	Gardiner and Stanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,578±$18kLowest 3% above NY	$115,234±$12kHighest 34% above NY
	Gardiner and Stanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$424,200±$32kLowest about the NY average	$469,200±$36kHighest 11% above NY
	Gardiner and Stanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,124±$104Lowest 31% below NY	$1,732±$368Highest 7% above NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,762Lowest 12% below NY	$8,307Highest 26% above NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±15Lowest NY: 52.1%	57.9%±5Highest NY: 52.1%
	Gardiner and Stanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.8%Highest NY: 14%	9.1%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72%Lowest NY: 54.3%	76.1%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 12 yrs newer than NY	1977Highest 18 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 8% below NY	32 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	10%±5.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	17.2%±6.3Highest NY: 14.9%
	Gardiner and Stanford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	PINE PLAINS 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.