What stands out worked out from the figures below

Murray has the most people working from home (12.8%).

Wolcott has the most affordable homes ($88k median).

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	Wolcott
People
Population	4,754Highest	3,971Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Highest NY: +4.2%	-10.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.3±2.8Lowest about the NY average	42.1±5.1Highest 6% above NY
	Wolcott and Murray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±4.2Lowest NY: 20.5%	22.9%±4.3Highest NY: 20.5%
	Wolcott and Murray 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%	20.3%±5Highest NY: 17.9%
	Wolcott 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%Highest NY: 40.2%	14.1%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.2Lowest NY: 7%	3.5%±1.5Highest NY: 7%
	Wolcott and Murray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,077±$5kHighest 24% below NY	$54,569±$10kLowest 37% below NY
	Murray and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$123,800±$14kHighest 71% below NY	$87,500±$16kLowest 79% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$826±$63Highest 49% below NY	$667±$106Lowest 59% below NY
	Murray and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,907Highest 41% below NY	$2,486Lowest 62% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.9%±15.7Lowest NY: 52.1%	53.7%±13.6Highest NY: 52.1%
	Wolcott 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%	20.9%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.3%Highest NY: 54.3%	77.2%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 7 yrs older than NY	1955Highest 4 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 20% below NY	31 minHighest 4% below NY
Work from home	12.8%±6.4Highest NY: 14.9%	3.2%±2.8Lowest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#430 of 484 in NY	#367 of 484 in NY
School district	HOLLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	NORTH ROSE-WOLCOTT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · RED CREEK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	HOLLEY JUNIOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	RED CREEK HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	9.6Highest
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.