What stands out worked out from the figures below

Piercefield has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Ward has the most kids (16.4% under 18).

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	Ward
People
Population	311Lowest	384Highest
Median age	55.2±24.4Lowest 39% above NY	57.3±5.6Highest 44% above NY
	Ward and Piercefield 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%	16.4%±5.7Highest NY: 20.5%
	Ward 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%	34.9%±11.4Highest NY: 17.9%
	Ward 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%Highest NY: 40.2%	25.3%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±6.4Lowest NY: 7%	3.4%±2.8Highest NY: 7%
	Ward 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	$75,104±$15kLowest 13% below NY
	Piercefield and Ward 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	$133,800±$31kLowest 68% below NY
	Piercefield and Ward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,075±$207 34% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,367Lowest 64% below NY	$3,118Highest 53% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	71.4%±100Highest NY: 52.1%	7.1%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Piercefield and Ward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Highest NY: 14%	4.2%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94%Highest NY: 54.3%	90.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 17 yrs older than NY	1979Highest 20 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 34% below NY	40 minHighest 24% above NY
Work from home	5%±3.7Highest NY: 14.9%	4.3%±4.1Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Piercefield and Ward 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.