What stands out worked out from the figures below

Herkimer has the most people working from home (8.4%).

Dunkirk has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.4%).

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	Herkimer	Dunkirk
People
Population	9,534Lowest	12,549Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+1.4%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	45.6±3.4Highest 15% above NY	43.7±3.1Lowest 10% above NY
	Herkimer and Dunkirk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±3.4Lowest NY: 20.5%	20%±2.8Highest NY: 20.5%
	Dunkirk and Herkimer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.5%±3.2Highest NY: 17.9%	19.1%±2.3Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Herkimer and Dunkirk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17.9%Highest NY: 40.2%	16.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.1%±1.8Highest NY: 7%	4.3%±1.5Lowest NY: 7%
	Herkimer and Dunkirk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,287±$14kHighest 35% below NY	$53,299±$6kLowest 38% below NY
	Herkimer and Dunkirk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$136,300±$22kHighest 68% below NY	$94,700±$6kLowest 78% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$820±$74Lowest 49% below NY	$866±$81Highest 47% below NY
	Dunkirk and Herkimer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,453Highest 48% below NY	$2,352Lowest 64% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.9%±15.8Lowest NY: 52.1%	46.6%±7.7Highest NY: 52.1%
	Dunkirk and Herkimer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.7%Lowest NY: 14%	24.3%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.6%Highest NY: 54.3%	58.5%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1944Highest 15 yrs older than NY	1941Lowest 18 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 34% below NY	19 minLowest 42% below NY
Work from home	8.4%±5.3Highest NY: 14.9%	4.5%±2Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Herkimer and Dunkirk 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	#363 of 484 in NY	#465 of 484 in NY
School district	HERKIMER CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	DUNKIRK CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	HERKIMER HIGH SCHOOL	DUNKIRK SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Highest	9.7Lowest
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.