What stands out worked out from the figures below

Niagara Falls has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3%).

Jamestown 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	Niagara Falls	Jamestown
People
Population	47,987Highest	28,188Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Highest NY: +4.2%	-7.8%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.8±1.3Highest about the NY average	39.8±1.8Lowest about the NY average
	Niagara Falls and Jamestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±1.4Lowest NY: 20.5%	22.6%±1.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Jamestown and Niagara Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±1.2Highest NY: 17.9%	17.8%±1.6Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Niagara Falls and Jamestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.7%Highest NY: 40.2%	21.3%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1Highest NY: 7%	4.1%±1.2Lowest NY: 7%
	Niagara Falls and Jamestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,101±$2kHighest 43% below NY	$43,523±$4kLowest 49% below NY
	Niagara Falls and Jamestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$115,300±$6kHighest 73% below NY	$87,700±$4kLowest 79% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$823±$33Highest 49% below NY	$759±$39Lowest 53% below NY
	Niagara Falls and Jamestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,786Highest 58% below NY	$2,453Lowest 63% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.4%±6.1Highest NY: 52.1%	51.8%±5.4Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Niagara Falls and Jamestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	23.7%Lowest NY: 14%	25.3%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.5%Highest NY: 54.3%	49.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1949Highest 10 yrs older than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minHighest 41% below NY	15 minLowest 53% below NY
Work from home	7.4%±1.6Lowest NY: 14.9%	9.1%±2.3Highest NY: 14.9%
	Jamestown and Niagara Falls 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	#427 of 484 in NY	#305 of 484 in NY
School district	NIAGARA FALLS CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	JAMESTOWN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	NIAGARA FALLS HIGH SCHOOL	JAMESTOWN HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	15.3Highest	12.2Lowest
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.