What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dresden has the most affordable homes ($192k median).

Wells has the most people working from home (3.6%).

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	Dresden	Wells
People
Population	551Lowest	671Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-17.6%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+1.3%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	59±2.8Lowest 48% above NY	59.8±3.5Highest 50% above NY
	Wells and Dresden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.1%±3.1Lowest NY: 20.5%	14.8%±4.5Highest NY: 20.5%
	Wells and Dresden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.9%±4Lowest NY: 17.9%	28.9%±7.6Highest NY: 17.9%
	Wells and Dresden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.7%Highest NY: 40.2%	19.6%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±3Lowest NY: 7%	2.5%±1.9Highest NY: 7%
	Wells and Dresden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,180±$9kLowest 25% below NY	$74,286±$31kHighest 14% below NY
	Wells and Dresden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$191,500±$48kLowest 55% below NY	$268,600±$45kHighest 37% below NY
	Wells and Dresden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,066±$109 34% below NY	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,138Highest 52% below NY	$2,588Lowest 61% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.4%±48.2Highest NY: 52.1%	30%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Dresden and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Highest NY: 14%	4.6%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.2%Lowest NY: 54.3%	91.7%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Lowest 6 yrs newer than NY	1972Highest 13 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 5% below NY	43 minHighest 32% above NY
Work from home	1%±2.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	3.6%±2.5Highest NY: 14.9%
	Wells and Dresden 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.