What stands out worked out from the figures below

Olean has the most expensive homes ($159k median).

Ilion has the most people working from home (7.8%).

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	Olean	Ilion
People
Population	1,664Lowest	7,593Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.2%Highest NY: +4.2%	-5.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	53.8±5.5Highest 35% above NY	44.9±3.4Lowest 13% above NY
	Olean and Ilion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±4.5Lowest NY: 20.5%	20.8%±4.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Ilion and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±5.1Highest NY: 17.9%	22.4%±4Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Olean and Ilion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.3%Highest NY: 40.2%	22.8%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.5Highest NY: 7%	1.6%±1.1Lowest NY: 7%
	Olean and Ilion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,583±$20kHighest 13% below NY	$62,843±$16kLowest 27% below NY
	Olean and Ilion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$158,600±$17kHighest 63% below NY	$108,700±$16kLowest 74% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$666±$334Lowest 59% below NY	$694±$228Highest 57% below NY
	Ilion and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,027Highest 39% below NY	$2,958Lowest 55% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±25.5Highest NY: 52.1%	45.9%±15Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Olean and Ilion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.3%Highest NY: 14%	14.5%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.9%Highest NY: 54.3%	66.2%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 3 yrs newer than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 43% below NY	20 minHighest 39% below NY
Work from home	5.8%±4.7Lowest NY: 14.9%	7.8%±4.3Highest NY: 14.9%
	Ilion and Olean 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	—
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.