What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barton has grown the fastest since 2010 (-2.8%).

Tioga has the most people working from home (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	Barton	Tioga
People
Population	8,461Highest	4,348Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.8%Highest NY: +4.2%	-8.8%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	46.3±3.9Highest 16% above NY	45.2±3.5Lowest 14% above NY
	Barton and Tioga are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±3.5Highest NY: 20.5%	13.2%±4.7Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Barton and Tioga are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.7%±3.2Lowest NY: 17.9%	23.1%±5.3Highest NY: 17.9%
	Tioga and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.8%Highest NY: 40.2%	13.3%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.6Highest NY: 7%	3.1%±2.7Lowest NY: 7%
	Barton and Tioga are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,799±$9kLowest 36% below NY	$68,523±$20kHighest 20% below NY
	Tioga and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$141,000±$11kHighest 67% below NY	$125,300±$35kLowest 70% below NY
	Barton and Tioga are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$956±$109Highest 41% below NY	$847±$219Lowest 48% below NY
	Barton and Tioga are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,310Highest 50% below NY	$2,614Lowest 60% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±13.6Highest NY: 52.1%	39.9%±29.8Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Barton and Tioga are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.6%Highest NY: 14%	11.3%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.1%Lowest NY: 54.3%	87.6%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 5 yrs newer than NY	1977Highest 18 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 38% below NY	21 minHighest 36% below NY
Work from home	1.7%±1.5Lowest NY: 14.9%	8%±4.8Highest NY: 14.9%
	Tioga and Barton 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	#251 of 484 in NY	#342 of 484 in NY
School district	WAVERLY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	TIOGA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	WAVERLY HIGH SCHOOL	TIOGA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Highest	10.3Lowest
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.