What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gowanda has the most kids (30.2% under 18).

Montgomery has the most people working from home (16%).

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	Montgomery
People
Population	2,683Highest	1,047Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.6±6.2Lowest 3% below U.S.	51.5±11.3Highest 32% above U.S.
	Montgomery 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 U.S.: 22%	15.5%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.5%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.9%±8.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	10.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	52.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Montgomery 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 36% below U.S.	$53,289±$24kHighest 34% below U.S.
	Montgomery and Gowanda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$96,400±$13kLowest 71% below U.S.	$323,200±$45kHighest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$753±$51Lowest 47% below U.S.	$868±$209Highest 39% below U.S.
	Montgomery and Gowanda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,663Lowest 15% below U.S.	$4,326Highest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.4%±14.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	76.6%±68Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Montgomery and Gowanda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	15.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	80.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 21% below U.S.	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.
Work from home	3.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16%±5.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	—	Northern Mountain Valley Unified Union School District #85
High school in town	—	None in town
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.