What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gowanda has the most people working from home (3.3%).

Whitehall has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.5%).

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	Whitehall
People
Population	2,683Lowest	4,005Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.2%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-0.5%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	37.6±6.2Highest 6% below NY	35.3±3.8Lowest 11% below NY
	Gowanda and Whitehall 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%	26.5%±5.4Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Gowanda and Whitehall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±5.8Highest NY: 17.9%	17.1%±3.3Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Gowanda and Whitehall 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%	12.9%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.3 NY: 7%	2%±1.2 NY: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,828±$2kLowest 40% below NY	$54,260±$6kHighest 37% below NY
	Whitehall 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 77% below NY	$115,400±$9kHighest 73% below NY
	Whitehall and Gowanda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$753±$51Lowest 54% below NY	$975±$96Highest 40% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,663Lowest 60% below NY	$3,069Highest 53% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.4%±14.3Lowest NY: 52.1%	63.6%±15Highest NY: 52.1%
	Whitehall and Gowanda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.9%Lowest NY: 14%	20.7%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Highest NY: 54.3%	70.1%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1941Highest 18 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 36% below NY	26 minHighest 21% below NY
Work from home	3.3%±1.9Highest NY: 14.9%	1.6%±1.8Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Gowanda and Whitehall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#425 of 484 in NY
School district	—	WHITEHALL CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	WHITEHALL JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	7.6
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.