What stands out worked out from the figures below

Butler has the most affordable homes ($90k median).

Montezuma has the most people working from home (9.2%).

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	Butler	Montezuma
People
Population	1,759Highest	1,271Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-11.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-7.8%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	47.6±11.1Highest 20% above NY	45.1±7.9Lowest 13% above NY
	Butler and Montezuma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.7%±1.8Highest NY: 20.5%	16.1%±1.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Butler and Montezuma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.3%±7.4Highest NY: 17.9%	16.7%±1.1Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Butler and Montezuma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	5.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%	8%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±1.1Highest NY: 7%	0.7%±1.3Lowest NY: 7%
	Butler and Montezuma are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$50,192±$24kLowest 42% below NY	$73,250±$18kHighest 15% below NY
	Montezuma and Butler are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$89,900±$17kLowest 79% below NY	$116,200±$11kHighest 73% below NY
	Montezuma and Butler are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$684±$203Lowest 58% below NY	$983±$192Highest 39% below NY
	Montezuma and Butler are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,102Lowest 68% below NY	$2,310Highest 65% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	23.4%±18.1Lowest NY: 52.1%	56.2%±21.1Highest NY: 52.1%
	Montezuma and Butler are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.6%Highest NY: 14%	9.8%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%	83.2%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1987Highest 28 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 30% below NY	23 minLowest 31% below NY
Work from home	3.3%±2.3Lowest NY: 14.9%	9.2%±6.4Highest NY: 14.9%
	Montezuma and Butler are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.