What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most people working from home (17.1%).

Sheldon has the most affordable homes ($176k 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	Windham	Sheldon
People
Population	1,432Lowest	2,216Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.3%Highest NY: +4.2%	-1.7%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	56.5±5.1Highest 42% above NY	48.9±7.6Lowest 23% above NY
	Windham and Sheldon 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%	14.9%±3.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Sheldon 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%±3.2Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Windham and Sheldon 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%	13.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.6%±5Highest NY: 7%	3.3%±2.8Lowest NY: 7%
	Windham and Sheldon 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	$71,214±$5kLowest 17% below NY
	Windham and Sheldon 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	$175,900±$14kLowest 58% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$850±$295Highest 48% below NY	$818±$84Lowest 50% below NY
	Windham and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,363Highest 49% below NY	$3,037Lowest 54% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.9%±35.7Highest NY: 52.1%	50.9%±21.3Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Windham and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Lowest NY: 14%	11.8%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest NY: 54.3%	81.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 26 yrs newer than NY	1963Lowest 4 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 18% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	17.1%±6.9Highest NY: 14.9%	2.2%±1.6Lowest NY: 14.9%
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.