What stands out worked out from the figures below

Catlin has the most affordable homes ($176k median).

Big Flats has the most people working from home (14.3%).

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	Catlin	Big Flats
People
Population	2,518Lowest	7,592Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+0.8%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	42±5.3Lowest 6% above NY	43.5±3.6Highest 9% above NY
	Big Flats and Catlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.5%±4.6Highest NY: 20.5%	22%±3.4Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Catlin and Big Flats are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.7%±3.7Lowest NY: 17.9%	24.9%±4.5Highest NY: 17.9%
	Big Flats and Catlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%	51.4%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.9Highest NY: 7%	2.5%±1.3Lowest NY: 7%
	Catlin and Big Flats are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,956±$20kLowest 6% below NY	$87,044±$11kHighest about the NY average
	Big Flats and Catlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$176,400±$17kLowest 58% below NY	$218,500±$15kHighest 48% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,132±$195Lowest 30% below NY	$1,345±$111Highest 17% below NY
	Big Flats and Catlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,919Lowest 40% below NY	$4,765Highest 28% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.2%±27.5Highest NY: 52.1%	37%±17.4Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Catlin and Big Flats are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest NY: 14%	5.1%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.2%Highest NY: 54.3%	79.1%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 16 yrs newer than NY	1974Lowest 15 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 26% below NY	17 minLowest 47% below NY
Work from home	5.1%±3.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	14.3%±5.5Highest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#118 of 484 in NY
School district	—	HORSEHEADS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	None in town
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.