What stands out worked out from the figures below

Piercefield has the highest household income ($89k).

Colton has the most people working from home (11.1%).

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	Piercefield	Colton
People
Population	311Lowest	1,395Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5.4% NY: +4.2%
Median age	55.2±24.4Highest 39% above NY	50.5±7.6Lowest 27% above NY
	Piercefield and Colton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±8.1Lowest NY: 20.5%	16.7%±3.7Highest NY: 20.5%
	Colton and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.3%±8.6Lowest NY: 17.9%	29.9%±4.9Highest NY: 17.9%
	Colton and Piercefield 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%	33.8%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±6.4Lowest NY: 7%	2.6%±1.5Highest NY: 7%
	Colton and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$89,191±$13kHighest 4% above NY	$69,156±$7kLowest 20% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$153,100±$48kLowest 64% below NY	$164,300±$13kHighest 61% below NY
	Colton and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$475±$261 71% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,367Lowest 64% below NY	$2,728Highest 59% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	71.4%±100Highest NY: 52.1%	22.7%±56.9Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Piercefield and Colton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Lowest NY: 14%	13.3%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94%Highest NY: 54.3%	91.8%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 17 yrs older than NY	1967Highest 8 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 34% below NY	28 minHighest 15% below NY
Work from home	5%±3.7Lowest NY: 14.9%	11.1%±5.2Highest NY: 14.9%
	Colton and Piercefield 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.