What stands out worked out from the figures below

Berlin has the most expensive homes ($215k median).

Lyons has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.1%).

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	Berlin	Lyons
People
Population	1,960Lowest	5,594Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-0.1%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	41.3±5.3Highest 4% above NY	41.1±5.4Lowest 3% above NY
	Berlin and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.5%±5.2Lowest NY: 20.5%	25.7%±5.8Highest NY: 20.5%
	Lyons and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±3.7Lowest NY: 17.9%	19.5%±3.4Highest NY: 17.9%
	Lyons and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.6%Highest NY: 40.2%	21%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±2.6Highest NY: 7%	2.6%±1.6Lowest NY: 7%
	Berlin and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,313±$25kHighest 7% below NY	$74,524±$12kLowest 13% below NY
	Berlin and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$214,600±$22kHighest 49% below NY	$98,400±$12kLowest 77% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,160±$309Highest 28% below NY	$920±$111Lowest 43% below NY
	Berlin and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,518Highest 47% below NY	$2,998Lowest 54% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19.7%±17.9Lowest NY: 52.1%	35.6%±12.2Highest NY: 52.1%
	Lyons and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.6%Lowest NY: 14%	14.3%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80%Highest NY: 54.3%	74.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Highest 5 yrs newer than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest about the NY average	21 minLowest 37% below NY
Work from home	12.9%±7.2Highest NY: 14.9%	11.8%±8.3Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Berlin and Lyons 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	—	#388 of 484 in NY
School district	BERLIN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	LYONS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	BERLIN MIDDLE SCHOOL/HIGH SCHOOL	LYONS SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	8.0Lowest	9.5Highest
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.