What stands out worked out from the figures below

Murray has the most affordable homes ($124k median).

Amherst has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.9%).

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	Murray	Amherst
People
Population	4,754Lowest	130,546Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+5.9%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.3±2.8Highest about the NY average	39.1±0.8Lowest about the NY average
	Murray and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±4.2Highest NY: 20.5%	19.2%±1Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Murray and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.9%±3.7Lowest NY: 17.9%	21.5%±0.9Highest NY: 17.9%
	Amherst and Murray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%	57.3%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.2Lowest NY: 7%	13.3%±0.8Highest NY: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,077±$5kLowest 24% below NY	$93,483±$2kHighest 9% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$123,800±$14kLowest 71% below NY	$311,600±$7kHighest 26% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$826±$63Lowest 49% below NY	$1,393±$45Highest 14% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,907Lowest 41% below NY	$5,935Highest 10% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.9%±15.7Lowest NY: 52.1%	53.1%±4.3Highest NY: 52.1%
	Amherst and Murray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10%Lowest NY: 14%	10.1%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.3%Highest NY: 54.3%	69.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 7 yrs older than NY	1971Highest 12 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 20% below NY	20 minLowest 39% below NY
Work from home	12.8%±6.4Lowest NY: 14.9%	15.9%±1.4Highest NY: 14.9%
	Amherst and Murray 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	#430 of 484 in NY	#72 of 484 in NY
School district	HOLLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	AMHERST CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · SWEET HOME CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	HOLLEY JUNIOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	WILLIAMSVILLE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	11.2Highest
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.