What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oswego has the most affordable homes ($121k median).

Stowe has the most expensive homes ($648k 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	Oswego	Stowe
People
Population	17,033Highest	5,285Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+21.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.7±1.6Lowest 8% below U.S.	46.3±7.6Highest 19% above U.S.
Kids under 18	21.9%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.5%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stowe and Oswego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.3%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.8%±6.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stowe and Oswego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.1%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.6%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,172±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.	$93,618±$33kHighest 16% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$120,600±$7kLowest 64% below U.S.	$647,800±$157kHighest 95% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$72Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,458±$242Highest 3% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,362Lowest 8% above U.S.	$7,161Highest 130% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.4%±7.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	24.5%±15.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.2%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	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	19 minHighest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	8.6%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.4%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#285 of 484 in NY	—
School district	OSWEGO CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	Stowe Town School District
High school in town	OSWEGO HIGH SCHOOL	Stowe High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Highest	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.