What stands out worked out from the figures below

Corning has the most expensive homes ($168k median).

Lyons has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.1%).

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	Lyons
People
Population	5,829Highest	5,594Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.6%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-0.1%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	41.6±3.6Highest 5% above NY	41.1±5.4Lowest 3% above NY
	Corning and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.8%±4Lowest NY: 20.5%	25.7%±5.8Highest NY: 20.5%
	Lyons and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±3.6Highest NY: 17.9%	19.5%±3.4Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Corning and Lyons 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%	21%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.2Highest NY: 7%	2.6%±1.6Lowest NY: 7%
	Corning and Lyons 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	$74,524±$12kLowest 13% below NY
	Corning and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$167,600±$14kHighest 60% below NY	$98,400±$12kLowest 77% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,289±$219Highest 20% below NY	$920±$111Lowest 43% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,895Highest 41% below NY	$2,998Lowest 54% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±15Highest NY: 52.1%	35.6%±12.2Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Corning and Lyons 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%	14.3%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86%Highest NY: 54.3%	74.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Highest 1 yr newer than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 38% below NY	21 minHighest 37% below NY
Work from home	8.3%±3.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	11.8%±8.3Highest NY: 14.9%
	Lyons 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	#388 of 484 in NY
School district	CORNING CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	LYONS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	CORNING PAINTED POST HIGH SCHOOL LEARNING CENTER	LYONS SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	4.0Lowest	9.5Highest
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.