What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stratford has the most affordable homes ($161k median).

Newburgh has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.8%).

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	Stratford	Newburgh
People
Population	950Lowest	1,475Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-11.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.8±16.8Highest 28% above U.S.	45.8±5.7Lowest 18% above U.S.
	Stratford and Newburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±7.6Highest U.S.: 22%	18.8%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Stratford and Newburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.1%±9.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stratford and Newburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	29.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±2.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Newburgh and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,583±$14kLowest 39% below U.S.	$76,750±$10kHighest 5% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,100±$48kLowest 52% below U.S.	$244,600±$20kHighest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$775±$264Lowest 45% below U.S.	$950±$219Highest 33% below U.S.
	Newburgh and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,512Lowest 19% below U.S.	$2,748Highest 12% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±53.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	42.9%±13.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stratford and Newburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	23.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	11.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below U.S.	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	8.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Stratford and Newburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Stratford School District	—
High school 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.