What stands out worked out from the figures below

Johnstown has the most expensive homes ($158k median).

Waterloo has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3.5%).

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	Johnstown	Waterloo
People
Population	8,111Highest	7,324Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-3.5%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	44±4.8Lowest 11% above NY	45.4±3.1Highest 14% above NY
	Waterloo and Johnstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.3%±3.4Highest NY: 20.5%	17.8%±2.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Johnstown and Waterloo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.5%±3.9Lowest NY: 17.9%	25.9%±3.7Highest NY: 17.9%
	Waterloo and Johnstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%	21.8%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.7Lowest NY: 7%	7.2%±2.1Highest NY: 7%
	Waterloo and Johnstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,763±$9kHighest 26% below NY	$63,226±$11kLowest 26% below NY
	Johnstown and Waterloo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$157,800±$11kHighest 63% below NY	$117,500±$8kLowest 72% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$914±$43Lowest 44% below NY	$922±$39Highest 43% below NY
	Waterloo and Johnstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,613Highest 45% below NY	$3,396Lowest 48% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.2%±12Lowest NY: 52.1%	47.6%±11.9Highest NY: 52.1%
	Waterloo and Johnstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.4%Lowest NY: 14%	10.6%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	60.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%	65.7%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1941Lowest 18 yrs older than NY	1956Highest 3 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 42% below NY	22 minHighest 33% below NY
Work from home	7.6%±3.2Lowest NY: 14.9%	10.4%±5.5Highest NY: 14.9%
	Waterloo and Johnstown 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	#403 of 484 in NY	#340 of 484 in NY
School district	JOHNSTOWN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	WATERLOO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	JOHNSTOWN HIGH SCHOOL	WATERLOO HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Highest	9.0Lowest
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.