What stands out worked out from the figures below

Piercefield has the most people working from home (5%).

Duane has the most affordable homes ($121k 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	Piercefield	Duane
People
Population	311Highest	226Lowest
Median age	55.2±24.4Highest 39% above NY	52.3±10.7Lowest 31% above NY
	Piercefield and Duane 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%	15.9%±11.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Duane and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.3%±8.6Highest NY: 17.9%	18.1%±5Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Piercefield and Duane are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.5%Highest NY: 40.2%	25.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±6.4Lowest NY: 7%	0.9%±6.3Highest NY: 7%
	Duane 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	$84,000±$31kLowest about the NY average
	Piercefield and Duane are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$153,100±$48kHighest 64% below NY	$120,800±$75kLowest 71% below NY
	Piercefield and Duane are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,367Highest 64% below NY	$2,243Lowest 66% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	71.4%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%	100%±100Highest NY: 52.1%
	Duane and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Lowest NY: 14%	9.3%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94%Lowest NY: 54.3%	97.1%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 17 yrs older than NY	1972Highest 13 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 34% below NY	25 minHighest 25% below NY
Work from home	5%±3.7Highest NY: 14.9%	3.2%±3.9Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Piercefield and Duane 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.