What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Java has the most people working from home (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	Gowanda	Java
People
Population	2,683Highest	2,049Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.2%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-4.1%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	37.6±6.2Lowest 6% below NY	44.2±5.5Highest 11% above NY
	Java 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%	20.7%±4.7Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Gowanda and Java 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%	19.5%±3.6Highest NY: 17.9%
	Java 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%	24.6%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.3Lowest NY: 7%	3%±2.4Highest NY: 7%
	Java and Gowanda 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	$95,129±$24kHighest 11% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$96,400±$13kLowest 77% below NY	$223,900±$30kHighest 47% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$753±$51Lowest 54% below NY	$863±$419Highest 47% below NY
	Java and Gowanda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,663Lowest 60% below NY	$3,775Highest 43% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.4%±14.3Highest NY: 52.1%	2.5%±61.4Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Gowanda and Java 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%	3.7%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest NY: 54.3%	95.2%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1956Highest 3 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 36% below NY	27 minHighest 17% below NY
Work from home	3.3%±1.9Lowest NY: 14.9%	9%±4.4Highest NY: 14.9%
	Java and Gowanda 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.