What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.3%).

Jay has the most kids (16% under 18).

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	Windham	Jay
People
Population	1,432Lowest	2,354Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.3%Highest NY: +4.2%	-0.8%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	56.5±5.1Highest 42% above NY	48.8±4.6Lowest 23% above NY
	Windham and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.1%±4.4Lowest NY: 20.5%	16%±4.1Highest NY: 20.5%
	Jay and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.4%±5.2Highest NY: 17.9%	25.3%±4.8Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Windham and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.8%Highest NY: 40.2%	31.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.6%±5Highest NY: 7%	1.7%±1.7Lowest NY: 7%
	Windham and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,477±$17kHighest 11% below NY	$72,380±$19kLowest 16% below NY
	Windham and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$315,600±$74kHighest 26% below NY	$196,900±$22kLowest 54% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$850±$295Lowest 48% below NY	$1,272±$366Highest 22% below NY
	Jay and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,363Lowest 49% below NY	$3,741Highest 43% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.9%±35.7Highest NY: 52.1%	27.4%±21.1Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Windham and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest NY: 14%	6.7%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest NY: 54.3%	88.4%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 26 yrs newer than NY	1977Lowest 18 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 18% below NY	28 minHighest 13% below NY
Work from home	17.1%±6.9Highest NY: 14.9%	8.8%±3.2Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Windham and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	AUSABLE VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	None in town
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.