What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middlefield has the highest household income ($118k).

Otsego has the most people working from home (19.9%).

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	Middlefield	Otsego
People
Population	1,797Lowest	3,627Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-11%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-6.6%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	43.8±6.1Lowest 10% above NY	52.1±5.8Highest 31% above NY
	Otsego and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.6%±3.7Highest NY: 20.5%	12.1%±2.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Middlefield and Otsego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±2.7Lowest NY: 17.9%	31.8%±5.1Highest NY: 17.9%
	Otsego and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.6%Lowest NY: 40.2%	53.8%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.3%±6.4Highest NY: 7%	6.2%±2.3Lowest NY: 7%
	Middlefield and Otsego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$118,333±$25kHighest 38% above NY	$72,891±$16kLowest 15% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$316,200±$43kLowest 25% below NY	$352,600±$42kHighest 17% below NY
	Otsego and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,145±$104Lowest 29% below NY	$1,205±$165Highest 26% below NY
	Otsego and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,037Lowest 54% below NY	$4,702Highest 29% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20.8%±19.7Lowest NY: 52.1%	30.6%±17.8Highest NY: 52.1%
	Otsego and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.8%Lowest NY: 14%	6.9%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Highest NY: 54.3%	70.4%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 20 yrs newer than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 40% below NY	26 minHighest 21% below NY
Work from home	8.4%±4.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	19.9%±9.2Highest NY: 14.9%
	Otsego and Middlefield 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	—	#65 of 484 in NY
School district	—	COOPERSTOWN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	COOPERSTOWN JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.8
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.