What stands out worked out from the figures below

Corning has grown the fastest since 2010 (-5.7%).

Fredonia has the most expensive homes ($193k median).

Fredonia is a college town. 28.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Corning	Fredonia
People
Population	10,643Highest	9,467Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.7%Highest NY: +4.2%	-14.6%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	37.8±1.7Highest 5% below NY	32.4±4.9Lowest 19% below NY
	Corning and Fredonia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±2.5Highest NY: 20.5%	14%±3Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Corning and Fredonia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.5%±2.3Lowest NY: 17.9%	19.9%±3.8Highest NY: 17.9%
	Fredonia and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.5%Lowest NY: 40.2%	45.3%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.3Lowest NY: 7%	28.6%±3.9Highest NY: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,760±$5kHighest 28% below NY	$50,433±$9kLowest 41% below NY
	Corning and Fredonia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$158,400±$9kLowest 63% below NY	$192,500±$22kHighest 55% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,014±$84Highest 37% below NY	$878±$64Lowest 46% below NY
	Corning and Fredonia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,371Lowest 34% below NY	$4,725Highest 28% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.2%±8.3Lowest NY: 52.1%	60.5%±10.3Highest NY: 52.1%
	Fredonia and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.7%Lowest NY: 14%	25.2%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	51.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%	53.6%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1943Lowest 16 yrs older than NY	1951Highest 8 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minHighest 46% below NY	17 minLowest 48% below NY
Work from home	11.9%±3.5Highest NY: 14.9%	11.5%±5.3Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Corning and Fredonia 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	#60 of 484 in NY	—
School district	CORNING CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	—
High school in town	CORNING-PAINTED POST HIGH SCHOOL	—
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	12 photos →	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.