What stands out worked out from the figures below

Johnson City has the most people working from home (9.7%).

Batavia has the most expensive homes ($149k median).

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	Johnson City	Batavia
People
Population	14,940Lowest	15,097Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Highest NY: +4.2%	+0.9%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.7±3.4Lowest about the NY average	42.9±2.1Highest 8% above NY
	Batavia and Johnson City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.1%±2.6Highest NY: 20.5%	17.3%±2Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Johnson City and Batavia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±2.6Highest NY: 17.9%	20.8%±2.1Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Johnson City and Batavia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.6%Highest NY: 40.2%	21.5%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9%±2.2Highest NY: 7%	3.2%±1Lowest NY: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,283±$4kLowest 35% below NY	$59,446±$6kHighest 31% below NY
	Batavia and Johnson City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$117,100±$4kLowest 72% below NY	$148,900±$7kHighest 65% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,031±$66Highest 36% below NY	$925±$35Lowest 43% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,982Highest 40% below NY	$3,326Lowest 49% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.8%±10.9Highest NY: 52.1%	45.9%±7.3Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Johnson City and Batavia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.6%Highest NY: 14%	14.2%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%	52.7%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1949Highest 10 yrs older than NY	1944Lowest 15 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 49% below NY	21 minHighest 35% below NY
Work from home	9.7%±3.4Highest NY: 14.9%	5%±1.7Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Johnson City and Batavia 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	—	#254 of 484 in NY
School district	—	BATAVIA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	BATAVIA HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.1
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.