What stands out worked out from the figures below

Decatur has the most people working from home (5.8%).

Piercefield has the shortest commute (22 min average).

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	Piercefield
People
Population	328Highest	311Lowest
Median age	55.3±7.6Highest 39% above NY	55.2±24.4Lowest 39% above NY
	Decatur and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.6%±4.9Highest NY: 20.5%	14.1%±8.1Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Decatur and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.7%±6.1Lowest NY: 17.9%	29.3%±8.6Highest NY: 17.9%
	Piercefield and Decatur are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%	25.5%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±5Highest NY: 7%	0%±6.4Lowest NY: 7%
	Decatur and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,375±$19kLowest 19% below NY	$89,191±$13kHighest 4% above NY
	Piercefield and Decatur 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	$153,100±$48kLowest 64% below NY
	Decatur and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$765±$109 53% below NY	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,404Highest 48% below NY	$2,367Lowest 64% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%	71.4%±100Highest NY: 52.1%
	Piercefield and Decatur are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8% NY: 14%	8% NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93%Lowest NY: 54.3%	94%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 13 yrs newer than NY	1942Lowest 17 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 6% above NY	22 minLowest 34% below NY
Work from home	5.8%±3.3Highest NY: 14.9%	5%±3.7Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Decatur and Piercefield 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.