What stands out worked out from the figures below

Throop has the shortest commute (26 min average).

Jay has the most people working from home (27.3%).

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	Throop	Jay
People
Population	1,651Highest	471Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.7±3.1Highest 35% above U.S.	52.1±10.5Lowest 34% above U.S.
	Throop and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%	14.2%±7.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Throop and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.3%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Throop and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Throop and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,268±$15kHighest 12% above U.S.	$74,792±$25kLowest 7% below U.S.
	Throop and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$185,900±$20kLowest 44% below U.S.	$234,200±$45kHighest 30% below U.S.
	Jay and Throop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,099±$88 22% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,261Highest 37% above U.S.	$3,588Lowest 15% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±69.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	40%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Throop and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	97%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.	2001Highest 21 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	40 minHighest 50% above U.S.
Work from home	7.5%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27.3%±13.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	—	Jay/Westfield Joint Elementary 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.