What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middlebury has the most expensive homes ($410k median).

Olean has the most kids (23.5% under 18).

Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Middlebury	Olean
People
Population	9,175Lowest	13,738Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	31.8±3.7Lowest 18% below U.S.	39±2.6Highest about the U.S. average
Kids under 18	11.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.5%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Middlebury and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	29.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	32.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,169±$16kHighest 7% above U.S.	$51,261±$7kLowest 37% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$409,700±$30kHighest 23% above U.S.	$86,100±$6kLowest 74% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,156±$113Highest 18% below U.S.	$794±$52Lowest 44% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,868Highest 120% above U.S.	$3,130Lowest about the U.S. average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±14.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52%±9.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Olean and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	26.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	55.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minHighest 41% below U.S.	14 minLowest 45% below U.S.
Work from home	18.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#17 of 70 in VT	#337 of 484 in NY
School district	Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55	OLEAN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	Middlebury Union High School	OLEAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Highest	12.2Lowest
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.