What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wells has the most kids (14.8% under 18).

Speculator has the most people working from home (19.1%).

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	Wells	Speculator
People
Population	671Highest	409Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.3% NY: +4.2%	—
Median age	59.8±3.5Highest 50% above NY	55.8±10.7Lowest 40% above NY
	Wells and Speculator are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.8%±4.5Highest NY: 20.5%	6.1%±4.5Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Wells and Speculator are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.9%±7.6Lowest NY: 17.9%	38.1%±18.7Highest NY: 17.9%
	Speculator and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.6%Lowest NY: 40.2%	52.6%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.9Lowest NY: 7%	4.9%±4.1Highest NY: 7%
	Speculator and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,286±$31kHighest 14% below NY	$63,864±$6kLowest 26% below NY
	Wells and Speculator are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,600±$45kHighest 37% below NY	$250,000±$91kLowest 41% below NY
	Wells and Speculator are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,042±$244 36% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,588Lowest 61% below NY	$3,208Highest 51% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%	41.2%±34.1Highest NY: 52.1%
	Speculator and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.6%Lowest NY: 14%	25.7%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.7%Highest NY: 54.3%	62.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 13 yrs newer than NY	1975Highest 16 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	43 minHighest 32% above NY	12 minLowest 65% below NY
Work from home	3.6%±2.5Lowest NY: 14.9%	19.1%±9.7Highest NY: 14.9%
On TownTapestry
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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.