What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ira has the most homeowners (90.7%).

Otsego has the most people working from home (19.9%).

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	Ira	Otsego
People
Population	381Lowest	3,627Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-6.6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54.1±5.5Highest 39% above U.S.	52.1±5.8Lowest 34% above U.S.
	Ira and Otsego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	10.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	12.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Otsego and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.9%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31.8%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Otsego and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	53.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Otsego and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,827±$5kLowest 11% below U.S.	$72,891±$16kHighest 10% below U.S.
	Otsego and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,900±$18kLowest 18% below U.S.	$352,600±$42kHighest 6% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$942±$52Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,205±$165Highest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,146Lowest 33% above U.S.	$4,702Highest 51% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	30.6%±17.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ira and Otsego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 6% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	2.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.9%±9.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#65 of 484 in NY
School district	—	COOPERSTOWN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	COOPERSTOWN JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.8
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.