What stands out worked out from the figures below

Olean has the most affordable homes ($86k median).

Stowe has grown the fastest since 2010 (+21.1%).

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	Stowe
People
Population	13,738Highest	5,285Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+21.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	39±2.6Lowest about the U.S. average	46.3±7.6Highest 19% above U.S.
	Stowe and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.5%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%	22.5%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Olean and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.8%±6.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stowe and Olean are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.6%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Olean and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,261±$7kLowest 37% below U.S.	$93,618±$33kHighest 16% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$86,100±$6kLowest 74% below U.S.	$647,800±$157kHighest 95% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$794±$52Lowest 44% below U.S.	$1,458±$242Highest 3% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,130Lowest about the U.S. average	$7,161Highest 130% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52%±9.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	24.5%±15.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	26.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	78.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	14 minLowest 45% below U.S.	19 minHighest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	8.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.4%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#337 of 484 in NY	—
School district	OLEAN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	Stowe Town School District
High school in town	OLEAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	Stowe High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.2Highest	11.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.