What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barker has the most affordable homes ($129k median).

Chenango has the most people working from home (13.8%).

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	Barker	Chenango
People
Population	2,405Lowest	10,787Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.2%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-2.6%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.2±11.7Lowest about the NY average	41±2.8Highest 3% above NY
	Chenango and Barker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.3%±5.8Highest NY: 20.5%	22.7%±3Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Barker and Chenango are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±3.3Lowest NY: 17.9%	22.6%±2.6Highest NY: 17.9%
	Chenango and Barker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	12%Lowest NY: 40.2%	35.2%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±2.2Lowest NY: 7%	4.8%±2Highest NY: 7%
	Chenango and Barker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,348±$10kLowest 25% below NY	$86,646±$9kHighest about the NY average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$128,600±$29kLowest 70% below NY	$172,000±$9kHighest 59% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$831±$125Lowest 49% below NY	$1,038±$97Highest 36% below NY
	Chenango and Barker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,810Lowest 57% below NY	$3,700Highest 44% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±62.5Lowest NY: 52.1%	41.7%±8.7Highest NY: 52.1%
	Chenango and Barker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.5%Highest NY: 14%	9.1%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.4%Highest NY: 54.3%	85.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 21 yrs newer than NY	1964Lowest 5 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 18% below NY	24 minLowest 27% below NY
Work from home	7.8%±4.3Lowest NY: 14.9%	13.8%±3.2Highest NY: 14.9%
	Chenango and Barker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#233 of 484 in NY
School district	—	CHENANGO FORKS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · CHENANGO VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	CHENANGO FORKS HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.1
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.