What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lancaster has the shortest commute (19 min average).

Tonawanda has the most people working from home (16.4%).

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	Lancaster	Tonawanda
People
Population	10,113Lowest	15,030Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%	0%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	45.1±4.7Highest 13% above NY	43.5±2.8Lowest 9% above NY
	Lancaster and Tonawanda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±3.8Lowest NY: 20.5%	18.3%±3.3Highest NY: 20.5%
	Tonawanda and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21%±4.5Highest NY: 17.9%	20.6%±3Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Lancaster and Tonawanda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.6%Lowest NY: 40.2%	28.5%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.5Lowest NY: 7%	5.7%±2.3Highest NY: 7%
	Tonawanda and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,148±$7kHighest 23% below NY	$58,326±$8kLowest 32% below NY
	Lancaster and Tonawanda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$202,200±$16kHighest 52% below NY	$173,600±$7kLowest 59% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$969±$169Highest 40% below NY	$835±$176Lowest 48% below NY
	Lancaster and Tonawanda are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,932Highest 25% below NY	$4,089Lowest 38% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52%±19Lowest NY: 52.1%	53.9%±9.6Highest NY: 52.1%
	Tonawanda and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.7%Lowest NY: 14%	13.8%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Highest NY: 54.3%	73.2%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Highest 7 yrs older than NY	1951Lowest 8 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 42% below NY	23 minHighest 30% below NY
Work from home	7%±3.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	16.4%±5.9Highest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#432 of 484 in NY
School district	—	TONAWANDA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	TONAWANDA MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.8
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.