What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sharon has the most expensive homes ($347k 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	Gerry	Sharon
People
Population	1,668Highest	1,577Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.4±5.7Highest 35% above U.S.	45.6±7.7Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Gerry and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	21%±5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sharon and Gerry 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%	25.1%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gerry and Sharon 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%	37.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gerry and Sharon 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.	$84,375±$17kHighest 5% above U.S.
	Sharon 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.	$346,700±$37kHighest 4% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,138±$260Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,386±$155Highest about the U.S. average
	Sharon and Gerry 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.	$5,903Highest 89% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.2%±16.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	19.8%±17.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	79.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	6.2%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	12.7%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sharon and Gerry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	CASSADAGA VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Sharon School District
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.