What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marilla has the most affordable homes ($286k median).

Strafford has the most people working from home (16.1%).

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	Marilla	Strafford
People
Population	5,148Highest	1,372Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.5±5.5Lowest 20% above U.S.	51.4±4.7Highest 32% above U.S.
	Strafford and Marilla are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.4%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	23%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Strafford and Marilla are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Strafford and Marilla are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	53.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Strafford and Marilla are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,787±$23kLowest 15% above U.S.	$110,833±$19kHighest 37% above U.S.
	Strafford and Marilla are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$286,400±$36kLowest 14% below U.S.	$431,300±$40kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$952±$95Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,125±$789Highest 20% below U.S.
	Strafford and Marilla are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,098Lowest 63% above U.S.	$7,149Highest 129% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.9%±44.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	44.6%±48Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Strafford and Marilla are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	88.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 7% above U.S.	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	4.9%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.1%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 484 in NY	—
School district	IROQUOIS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Strafford School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.