What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hanover has the most affordable homes ($142k median).

Wheatfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.9%).

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	Hanover	Wheatfield
People
Population	6,882Lowest	18,549Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.2%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+2.9%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	50.6±5.5Highest 27% above NY	47.3±2.1Lowest 19% above NY
	Hanover and Wheatfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.9Lowest NY: 20.5%	22.5%±3.3Highest NY: 20.5%
	Wheatfield and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.7%±4.8Highest NY: 17.9%	23.1%±2.3Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Hanover and Wheatfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23%Lowest NY: 40.2%	35.3%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.1Lowest NY: 7%	5%±1.5Highest NY: 7%
	Wheatfield and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,563±$9kLowest 17% below NY	$93,682±$6kHighest 9% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$141,500±$16kLowest 67% below NY	$314,900±$19kHighest 26% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$993±$105Highest 39% below NY	$989±$87Lowest 39% below NY
	Hanover and Wheatfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,881Lowest 56% below NY	$5,735Highest 13% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.5%±22.9Lowest NY: 52.1%	61.8%±11.9Highest NY: 52.1%
	Wheatfield and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.2%Highest NY: 14%	5.9%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.7%Highest NY: 54.3%	76.4%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 9 yrs older than NY	1986Highest 27 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 19% below NY	23 minLowest 29% below NY
Work from home	11.5%±5.7 NY: 14.9%	11.5%±2.5 NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#196 of 484 in NY	#9 of 484 in NY
School district	FORESTVILLE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · SILVER CREEK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	NIAGARA-WHEATFIELD CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	SILVER CREEK HIGH SCHOOL	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3	—
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.