What stands out worked out from the figures below

Palmyra has the most affordable homes ($130k median).

Lowville has the shortest commute (15 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	Palmyra	Lowville
People
Population	3,287Lowest	3,404Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.5%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-5.7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	35.3±5.4Highest 11% below NY	34.7±4.4Lowest 13% below NY
	Palmyra and Lowville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±5.4Lowest NY: 20.5%	21%±4.2Highest NY: 20.5%
	Lowville and Palmyra are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.9%±3.6Lowest NY: 17.9%	16.3%±3.3Highest NY: 17.9%
	Lowville and Palmyra are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.5%Lowest NY: 40.2%	28.6%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2.5Lowest NY: 7%	6.3%±3Highest NY: 7%
	Lowville and Palmyra are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,983±$11kLowest 24% below NY	$68,450±$15kHighest 20% below NY
	Lowville and Palmyra are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$129,700±$15kLowest 69% below NY	$164,000±$15kHighest 61% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$937±$68Highest 42% below NY	$765±$40Lowest 53% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,263Highest 35% below NY	$3,460Lowest 47% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.2%±19.4Lowest NY: 52.1%	41%±13.5Highest NY: 52.1%
	Lowville and Palmyra are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.4%Lowest NY: 14%	17.5%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50%Lowest NY: 54.3%	58%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1944Highest 15 yrs older than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 31% below NY	15 minLowest 54% below NY
Work from home	6.2%±3.3Lowest NY: 14.9%	6.9%±5Highest NY: 14.9%
	Lowville and Palmyra are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.