What stands out worked out from the figures below

Niagara Falls has the most affordable homes ($115k median).

Union has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.4%).

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	Union
People
Population	47,987Lowest	55,078Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-0.4%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.8±1.3Lowest about the NY average	41.4±1.2Highest 4% above NY
	Union and Niagara Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±1.4Highest NY: 20.5%	19%±1.3Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Niagara Falls and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±1.2Lowest NY: 17.9%	21.4%±1.3Highest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%	33%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1Lowest NY: 7%	6.1%±0.9Highest NY: 7%
	Union and Niagara Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,101±$2kLowest 43% below NY	$61,713±$2kHighest 28% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$115,300±$6kLowest 73% below NY	$149,900±$5kHighest 65% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$823±$33Lowest 49% below NY	$936±$37Highest 42% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,786Lowest 58% below NY	$4,200Highest 36% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.4%±6.1Highest NY: 52.1%	49.2%±5.6Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Niagara Falls and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	23.7%Highest NY: 14%	16.2%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.5%Lowest NY: 54.3%	58.9%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1949Lowest 10 yrs older than NY	1955Highest 4 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minHighest 41% below NY	18 minLowest 46% below NY
Work from home	7.4%±1.6Lowest NY: 14.9%	9%±1.5Highest NY: 14.9%
	Union 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	#199 of 484 in NY
School district	NIAGARA FALLS CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	UNION-ENDICOTT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · JOHNSON CITY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	NIAGARA FALLS HIGH SCHOOL	UNION-ENDICOTT HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	15.3Highest	11.4Lowest
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.