What stands out worked out from the figures below

Otego has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Oneida Castle has the most people working from home (10.9%).

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	Otego	Oneida Castle
People
Population	936Highest	597Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-13.4%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-6.2%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	44±8.3Highest 11% above NY	43.1±10.2Lowest 8% above NY
	Otego and Oneida Castle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.1%±3.3Lowest NY: 20.5%	19.1%±4.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Oneida Castle and Otego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.8%±4.2Highest NY: 17.9%	27.3%±2.1Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Otego and Oneida Castle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.7%Highest NY: 40.2%	31%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±4.9Lowest NY: 7%	5.5%±3.4Highest NY: 7%
	Oneida Castle and Otego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,804±$8kHighest 8% below NY	$73,333±$35kLowest 15% below NY
	Otego and Oneida Castle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$186,100±$19kHighest 56% below NY	$174,300±$15kLowest 59% below NY
	Otego and Oneida Castle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$956±$34Highest 41% below NY	$832±$94Lowest 49% below NY
	Otego and Oneida Castle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,798Highest 42% below NY	$3,625Lowest 45% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.6%±8.5Highest NY: 52.1%	25.3%±24.4Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Otego and Oneida Castle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.8%Highest NY: 14%	6.6%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.2%Lowest NY: 54.3%	71.9%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Highest 2 yrs older than NY	1944Lowest 15 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 38% below NY	23 minHighest 28% below NY
Work from home	7%±3.3Lowest NY: 14.9%	10.9%±7.4Highest NY: 14.9%
	Oneida Castle and Otego 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	#98 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.