What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thompson has the most homeowners (46.4%).

Cohoes has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).

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	Thompson	Cohoes
People
Population	16,714Lowest	18,159Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+12.2%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.4±3.9Highest about the NY average	38.6±2.6Lowest 3% below NY
	Thompson and Cohoes 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%	19.9%±3.1Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Thompson and Cohoes 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%	17.8%±2.1Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Thompson and Cohoes are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%	27.6%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.4Lowest NY: 7%	6.6%±2.1Highest NY: 7%
	Cohoes and Thompson 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	$61,145±$6kLowest 29% below NY
	Thompson and Cohoes 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	$223,400±$9kLowest 47% below NY
	Thompson and Cohoes are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,126±$109Lowest 31% below NY	$1,251±$111Highest 23% below NY
	Cohoes and Thompson 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	$4,379Lowest 33% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.9%±9.2Highest NY: 52.1%	48.6%±8.8Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Thompson and Cohoes are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.6%Lowest NY: 14%	25.9%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	46.4%Highest NY: 54.3%	39.5%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 15 yrs newer than NY	1954Lowest 5 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 24% below NY	25 minHighest 24% below NY
Work from home	8%±2.7Lowest NY: 14.9%	11.6%±3.3Highest NY: 14.9%
	Cohoes 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	#312 of 484 in NY
School district	MONTICELLO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	COHOES CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	MONTICELLO HIGH SCHOOL	COHOES HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	11.5Highest
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.