What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ward has the most affordable homes ($134k 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	Ward
People
Population	328Lowest	384Highest
Median age	55.3±7.6Lowest 39% above NY	57.3±5.6Highest 44% above NY
	Ward and Decatur 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%	16.4%±5.7Highest NY: 20.5%
	Ward and Decatur 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%	34.9%±11.4Highest NY: 17.9%
	Ward 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%	25.3%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±5Highest NY: 7%	3.4%±2.8Lowest NY: 7%
	Decatur and Ward 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	$75,104±$15kHighest 13% below NY
	Ward 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	$133,800±$31kLowest 68% below NY
	Decatur and Ward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$765±$109Lowest 53% below NY	$1,075±$207Highest 34% below NY
	Ward 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	$3,118Lowest 53% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100Highest NY: 52.1%	7.1%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Decatur and Ward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Highest NY: 14%	4.2%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93%Highest NY: 54.3%	90.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 13 yrs newer than NY	1979Highest 20 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minLowest 6% above NY	40 minHighest 24% above NY
Work from home	5.8%±3.3Highest NY: 14.9%	4.3%±4.1Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Decatur and Ward 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.