What stands out worked out from the figures below

Catharine has the most expensive homes ($145k median).

Olean has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3.6%).

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	Catharine	Olean
People
Population	1,370Lowest	13,738Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.3%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-3.6%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	47.4±6.5Highest 19% above NY	39±2.6Lowest about the NY average
	Catharine and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.1%±3.8Lowest NY: 20.5%	23.5%±2.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Olean and Catharine are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.7%±2.3Highest NY: 17.9%	19.1%±2.5Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Catharine and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%	29.9%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest NY: 7%	3.6%±1.1Highest NY: 7%
	Olean and Catharine are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,500±$15kHighest 32% below NY	$51,261±$7kLowest 40% below NY
	Catharine and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$144,900±$11kHighest 66% below NY	$86,100±$6kLowest 80% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$854±$117Highest 47% below NY	$794±$52Lowest 51% below NY
	Catharine and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,675Lowest 59% below NY	$3,130Highest 52% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.5%±19.2Highest NY: 52.1%	52%±9.1Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Catharine and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.7%Lowest NY: 14%	26.7%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.1%Highest NY: 54.3%	55.1%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Highest 6 yrs older than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 23% below NY	14 minLowest 56% below NY
Work from home	7.7%±4.7Lowest NY: 14.9%	8.4%±2.6Highest NY: 14.9%
	Olean and Catharine 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	—	#337 of 484 in NY
School district	ODESSA-MONTOUR CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	OLEAN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	ODESSA-MONTOUR JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	OLEAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	12.2Highest
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.