What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterloo has the most affordable homes ($114k median).

Windham has the most expensive homes ($316k 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	Waterloo	Windham
People
Population	4,605Highest	1,432Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+0.3%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	50.8±4.5Lowest 28% above NY	56.5±5.1Highest 42% above NY
	Windham and Waterloo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±3.3Highest NY: 20.5%	11.1%±4.4Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Waterloo and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.4%±5Lowest NY: 17.9%	31.4%±5.2Highest NY: 17.9%
	Windham and Waterloo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.5%Lowest NY: 40.2%	43.8%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±2.5Lowest NY: 7%	6.6%±5Highest NY: 7%
	Windham and Waterloo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,642±$9kLowest 40% below NY	$76,477±$17kHighest 11% below NY
	Windham and Waterloo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$114,300±$7kLowest 73% below NY	$315,600±$74kHighest 26% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$927±$49Highest 43% below NY	$850±$295Lowest 48% below NY
	Waterloo and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,772Highest 43% below NY	$3,363Lowest 49% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.6%±13.9Lowest NY: 52.1%	68.9%±35.7Highest NY: 52.1%
	Windham and Waterloo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.7%Highest NY: 14%	7.4%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%	89%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1985Highest 26 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 35% below NY	27 minHighest 18% below NY
Work from home	13.2%±7.7Lowest NY: 14.9%	17.1%±6.9Highest NY: 14.9%
	Windham and Waterloo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.