What stands out worked out from the figures below

Corning has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Chenango has the most people working from home (13.8%).

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	Chenango
People
Population	5,829Lowest	10,787Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.6%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-2.6%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	41.6±3.6Highest 5% above NY	41±2.8Lowest 3% above NY
	Corning and Chenango are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.8%±4Highest NY: 20.5%	22.7%±3Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Corning and Chenango are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±3.6Lowest NY: 17.9%	22.6%±2.6Highest NY: 17.9%
	Chenango and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38%Highest NY: 40.2%	35.2%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.2Lowest NY: 7%	4.8%±2Highest NY: 7%
	Chenango and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,482±$10kHighest about the NY average	$86,646±$9kLowest about the NY average
	Corning and Chenango are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$167,600±$14kLowest 60% below NY	$172,000±$9kHighest 59% below NY
	Chenango and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,289±$219Highest 20% below NY	$1,038±$97Lowest 36% below NY
	Corning and Chenango are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,895Highest 41% below NY	$3,700Lowest 44% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±15Lowest NY: 52.1%	41.7%±8.7Highest NY: 52.1%
	Chenango and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Lowest NY: 14%	9.1%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86%Highest NY: 54.3%	85.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 1 yr newer than NY	1964Highest 5 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 38% below NY	24 minHighest 27% below NY
Work from home	8.3%±3.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	13.8%±3.2Highest NY: 14.9%
	Chenango and Corning 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	#393 of 484 in NY	#233 of 484 in NY
School district	CORNING CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	CHENANGO FORKS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · CHENANGO VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	CORNING PAINTED POST HIGH SCHOOL LEARNING CENTER	CHENANGO FORKS HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	4.0Lowest	11.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.