What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gerry has the most affordable homes ($119k median).

Reading has the most people working from home (22.9%).

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	Gerry	Reading
People
Population	1,668Highest	699Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.4±5.7Highest 35% above U.S.	51.1±7.6Lowest 31% above U.S.
	Gerry and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%	18.5%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Gerry and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.9%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	28.2%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gerry and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gerry and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,667±$12kLowest 15% below U.S.	$85,000±$19kHighest 5% above U.S.
	Reading and Gerry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$119,200±$10kLowest 64% below U.S.	$377,200±$72kHighest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,138±$260Highest 19% below U.S.	$1,100±$331Lowest 22% below U.S.
	Gerry and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,606Lowest 16% below U.S.	$5,754Highest 84% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.2%±16.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	63.3%±31.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Reading and Gerry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1969Highest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.
Work from home	6.2%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.9%±10.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	CASSADAGA VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Mountain Views Unified Union School District #76
High school in town	CASSADAGA VALLEY MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.