What stands out worked out from the figures below

Decatur has the most expensive homes ($174k median).

German has the most affordable homes ($113k median).

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	Decatur	German
People
Population	328Highest	274Lowest
Median age	55.3±7.6Highest 39% above NY	53.8±5.8Lowest 35% above NY
	Decatur and German are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.6%±4.9Lowest NY: 20.5%	15.3%±6.4Highest NY: 20.5%
	German and Decatur are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.7%±6.1 NY: 17.9%	27.7%±7.5 NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.7%Highest NY: 40.2%	22.2%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±5Highest NY: 7%	3.6%±2.6Lowest NY: 7%
	Decatur and German are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,375±$19kHighest 19% below NY	$67,813±$11kLowest 21% below NY
	Decatur and German are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$173,500±$40kHighest 59% below NY	$112,500±$15kLowest 73% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$765±$109Lowest 53% below NY	$817±$260Highest 50% below NY
	German and Decatur are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,404Highest 48% below NY	$1,844Lowest 72% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100Highest NY: 52.1%	14.3%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Decatur and German are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Lowest NY: 14%	12.2%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93%Highest NY: 54.3%	84.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972 13 yrs newer than NY	1972 13 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minLowest 6% above NY	43 minHighest 31% above NY
Work from home	5.8%±3.3Lowest NY: 14.9%	6.4%±4.1Highest NY: 14.9%
	German and Decatur are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.