What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sullivan has the most people working from home (11.9%).

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	Marilla	Sullivan
People
Population	5,148Lowest	14,690Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.6%Highest NY: +4.2%	-3.6%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	46.5±5.5Highest 17% above NY	45±2.1Lowest 13% above NY
	Marilla and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.4%±4.9Lowest NY: 20.5%	19.2%±1.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Sullivan and Marilla are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±4.8Highest NY: 17.9%	21.2%±1.5Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Marilla and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.1%Highest NY: 40.2%	29%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.9Lowest NY: 7%	4.5%±1.3Highest NY: 7%
	Sullivan 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±$23kHighest 8% above NY	$80,948±$6kLowest 6% below NY
	Marilla and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$286,400±$36kHighest 32% below NY	$194,100±$12kLowest 54% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$952±$95Highest 41% below NY	$863±$135Lowest 47% below NY
	Marilla and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,098Highest 23% below NY	$4,542Lowest 31% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.9%±44.9Lowest NY: 52.1%	51.6%±13.8Highest NY: 52.1%
	Sullivan 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 NY: 14%	8.2%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.4%Highest NY: 54.3%	83.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 13 yrs newer than NY	1974Highest 15 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 13% below NY	26 minLowest 21% below NY
Work from home	4.9%±2.3Lowest NY: 14.9%	11.9%±1.9Highest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 484 in NY	#87 of 484 in NY
School district	IROQUOIS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	CHITTENANGO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	None in town	CHITTENANGO HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.3
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.