What stands out worked out from the figures below

Norway has the most expensive homes ($170k median).

Olean has the shortest commute (14 min average).

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	Norway	Olean
People
Population	930Lowest	13,738Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Highest NY: +4.2%	-3.6%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.5±9.2Highest about the NY average	39±2.6Lowest about the NY average
	Norway and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.9%±5.4Highest NY: 20.5%	23.5%±2.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Norway and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.8%±2.6Lowest NY: 17.9%	19.1%±2.5Highest NY: 17.9%
	Olean and Norway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	12.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%	29.9%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±2.2Lowest NY: 7%	3.6%±1.1Highest NY: 7%
	Olean and Norway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,844±$15kHighest 7% below NY	$51,261±$7kLowest 40% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$169,900±$23kHighest 60% below NY	$86,100±$6kLowest 80% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$794±$52 51% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,116Lowest 53% below NY	$3,130Highest 52% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%	52%±9.1Highest NY: 52.1%
	Olean and Norway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.6%Lowest NY: 14%	26.7%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.3%Highest NY: 54.3%	55.1%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 25 yrs newer than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 17% above NY	14 minLowest 56% below NY
Work from home	6.9%±4Lowest NY: 14.9%	8.4%±2.6Highest NY: 14.9%
	Olean and Norway 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	—	#337 of 484 in NY
School district	—	OLEAN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	OLEAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.2
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.