What stands out worked out from the figures below

Duane has the most affordable homes ($121k median).

Piercefield has the most people working from home (5%).

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	Duane	Piercefield
People
Population	226Lowest	311Highest
Median age	52.3±10.7Lowest 31% above NY	55.2±24.4Highest 39% above NY
	Piercefield and Duane are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.9%±11.9Highest NY: 20.5%	14.1%±8.1Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Duane and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.1%±5Lowest NY: 17.9%	29.3%±8.6Highest NY: 17.9%
	Piercefield and Duane are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%	25.5%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.9%±6.3Highest NY: 7%	0%±6.4Lowest NY: 7%
	Duane and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,000±$31kLowest about the NY average	$89,191±$13kHighest 4% above NY
	Piercefield and Duane are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$120,800±$75kLowest 71% below NY	$153,100±$48kHighest 64% below NY
	Piercefield and Duane are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,243Lowest 66% below NY	$2,367Highest 64% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest NY: 52.1%	71.4%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Duane and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.3%Highest NY: 14%	8%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.1%Highest NY: 54.3%	94%Lowest 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	25 minHighest 25% below NY	22 minLowest 34% below NY
Work from home	3.2%±3.9Lowest NY: 14.9%	5%±3.7Highest NY: 14.9%
	Piercefield and Duane 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.