What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thompson has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.1%).

Amsterdam has the most affordable homes ($138k 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	Thompson	Amsterdam
People
Population	16,714Lowest	18,166Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.1%Highest NY: +4.2%	-2.2%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.4±3.9Highest about the NY average	39.5±1.2Lowest about the NY average
	Thompson and Amsterdam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.3%±2.9Lowest NY: 20.5%	23%±2.3Highest NY: 20.5%
	Amsterdam and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±2.8Highest NY: 17.9%	19.5%±2.1Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Thompson and Amsterdam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.4%Highest NY: 40.2%	22.5%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.4Highest NY: 7%	4%±1Lowest NY: 7%
	Thompson and Amsterdam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,021±$10kHighest 24% below NY	$56,178±$8kLowest 35% below NY
	Thompson and Amsterdam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$229,000±$19kHighest 46% below NY	$137,900±$11kLowest 67% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,126±$109Highest 31% below NY	$1,006±$45Lowest 38% below NY
	Thompson and Amsterdam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,079Highest 23% below NY	$4,369Lowest 34% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.9%±9.2Highest NY: 52.1%	45.4%±6.8Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Thompson and Amsterdam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.6%Highest NY: 14%	20.2%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	46.4%Lowest NY: 54.3%	53%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 15 yrs newer than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 24% below NY	21 minLowest 37% below NY
Work from home	8%±2.7Lowest NY: 14.9%	10.5%±3.2Highest NY: 14.9%
	Amsterdam and Thompson 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	#452 of 484 in NY	#474 of 484 in NY
School district	MONTICELLO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	AMSTERDAM CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	MONTICELLO HIGH SCHOOL	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5	—
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.