What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thompson has the most renters (53.6% rent).

Fallsburg has the most people working from home (16.7%).

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	Fallsburg
People
Population	16,714Highest	14,581Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+10.3%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.4±3.9Highest about the NY average	38.4±2Lowest 4% below NY
	Thompson and Fallsburg 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%	21.2%±2.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Thompson and Fallsburg 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%	16.4%±2.5Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Thompson and Fallsburg 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%	24.1%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.4Lowest NY: 7%	7.9%±2.2Highest NY: 7%
	Fallsburg 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	$62,452±$7kLowest 27% below NY
	Thompson and Fallsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$229,000±$19kLowest 46% below NY	$256,000±$45kHighest 40% below NY
	Fallsburg and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,126±$109Highest 31% below NY	$1,079±$87Lowest 33% below NY
	Thompson and Fallsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,079Lowest 23% below NY	$5,343Highest 19% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.9%±9.2Highest NY: 52.1%	47.7%±7.9Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Thompson and Fallsburg 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%	24.9%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	46.4%Lowest NY: 54.3%	54.4%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 15 yrs newer than NY	1982Highest 23 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 24% below NY	22 minLowest 31% below NY
Work from home	8%±2.7Lowest NY: 14.9%	16.7%±6.3Highest NY: 14.9%
	Fallsburg 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	#479 of 484 in NY
School district	MONTICELLO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	FALLSBURG CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	MONTICELLO HIGH SCHOOL	FALLSBURG JUNIOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Highest	10.2Lowest
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.