What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gowanda has the most affordable homes ($96k median).

Collins has the most people working from home (11%).

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	Gowanda	Collins
People
Population	2,683Lowest	4,643Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.2%Highest NY: +4.2%	-10.7%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	37.6±6.2Lowest 6% below NY	40.5±6.2Highest about the NY average
	Collins and Gowanda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	30.2%±9.7Highest NY: 20.5%	24.4%±6.6Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Gowanda and Collins are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±5.8Lowest NY: 17.9%	21.3%±3.8Highest NY: 17.9%
	Collins and Gowanda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	10.8%Lowest NY: 40.2%	16.3%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.3Highest NY: 7%	1.5%±0.9Lowest NY: 7%
	Gowanda and Collins are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,828±$2kLowest 40% below NY	$60,905±$5kHighest 29% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$96,400±$13kLowest 77% below NY	$153,000±$11kHighest 64% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$753±$51Lowest 54% below NY	$799±$90Highest 51% below NY
	Collins and Gowanda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,663Highest 60% below NY	$2,501Lowest 62% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.4%±14.3Highest NY: 52.1%	59.4%±38.2Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Gowanda and Collins are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.9%Highest NY: 14%	9.1%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest NY: 54.3%	82.2%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1950Highest 9 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 36% below NY	24 minHighest 26% below NY
Work from home	3.3%±1.9Lowest NY: 14.9%	11%±5Highest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#467 of 484 in NY
School district	—	GOWANDA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	None in town
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.