What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Auburn has the most affordable homes ($153k 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	Auburn
People
Population	16,714Lowest	26,285Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.1%Highest NY: +4.2%	-3%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.4±3.9Lowest about the NY average	41.1±1.1Highest 3% above NY
	Auburn and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.3%±2.9Highest NY: 20.5%	19%±1.7Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Thompson and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±2.8Lowest NY: 17.9%	21.6%±1.9Highest NY: 17.9%
	Auburn and Thompson 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%	21%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.4Highest NY: 7%	2.7%±0.7Lowest NY: 7%
	Thompson and Auburn 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	$51,052±$5kLowest 41% below NY
	Thompson and Auburn 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	$152,800±$9kLowest 64% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,126±$109Highest 31% below NY	$897±$50Lowest 45% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,079Highest 23% below NY	$3,998Lowest 39% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.9%±9.2Lowest NY: 52.1%	55%±7.8Highest NY: 52.1%
	Auburn and Thompson 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%	19.5%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	46.4%Lowest NY: 54.3%	48.6%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 15 yrs newer than NY	1947Lowest 12 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 24% below NY	20 minLowest 40% below NY
Work from home	8%±2.7Highest NY: 14.9%	5.7%±1.8Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Thompson and Auburn 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	#374 of 484 in NY
School district	MONTICELLO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	AUBURN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	MONTICELLO HIGH SCHOOL	AUBURN HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	13.8Highest
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.