What stands out worked out from the figures below

Volney has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Royalton has the most people working from home (12.9%).

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	Volney	Royalton
People
Population	5,642Lowest	7,478Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.3%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-1.9%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	43.1±2.2Highest 8% above NY	42.7±2.9Lowest 7% above NY
	Volney and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±4.5Highest NY: 20.5%	19.7%±3.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Volney and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±2.6Lowest NY: 17.9%	19.4%±3.4Highest NY: 17.9%
	Royalton and Volney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Lowest NY: 40.2%	22%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.6Highest NY: 7%	4.1%±1.8Lowest NY: 7%
	Volney and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,848±$10kLowest 13% below NY	$92,373±$12kHighest 7% above NY
	Royalton and Volney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$149,200±$22kLowest 65% below NY	$182,200±$23kHighest 57% below NY
	Royalton and Volney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$952±$44Highest 41% below NY	$828±$46Lowest 49% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,713Lowest 44% below NY	$4,153Highest 37% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	23.5%±8.5Lowest NY: 52.1%	32.7%±28.6Highest NY: 52.1%
	Royalton and Volney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.6%Highest NY: 14%	4.1%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.9%Highest NY: 54.3%	78.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 19 yrs newer than NY	1951Lowest 8 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 32% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	4.4%±2.7Lowest NY: 14.9%	12.9%±4.7Highest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#466 of 484 in NY	#219 of 484 in NY
School district	FULTON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	ROYALTON-HARTLAND CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	None in town	ROYALTON-HARTLAND HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.9
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.