What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dickinson has the most people working from home (14.4%).

Olean has the most affordable homes ($86k 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	Dickinson	Olean
People
Population	5,001Lowest	13,738Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.4%Highest NY: +4.2%	-3.6%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	42.7±3.3Highest 7% above NY	39±2.6Lowest about the NY average
	Dickinson and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±3.9Lowest NY: 20.5%	23.5%±2.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Olean and Dickinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±4Highest NY: 17.9%	19.1%±2.5Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Dickinson and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32%Highest NY: 40.2%	29.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest NY: 7%	3.6%±1.1Lowest NY: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,864±$14kHighest 9% below NY	$51,261±$7kLowest 40% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$147,400±$17kHighest 65% below NY	$86,100±$6kLowest 80% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$941±$68Highest 42% below NY	$794±$52Lowest 51% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,523Highest 46% below NY	$3,130Lowest 52% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.8%±13.8Lowest NY: 52.1%	52%±9.1Highest NY: 52.1%
	Olean and Dickinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.5%Lowest NY: 14%	26.7%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.6%Highest NY: 54.3%	55.1%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Highest 7 yrs older than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minHighest 48% below NY	14 minLowest 56% below NY
Work from home	14.4%±5.9Highest NY: 14.9%	8.4%±2.6Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Dickinson and Olean 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	—	#337 of 484 in NY
School district	CHENANGO VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	OLEAN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	None in town	OLEAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.2
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.