What stands out worked out from the figures below

Schroon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13.7%).

Olean has the most affordable homes ($86k 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	Schroon	Olean
People
Population	1,897Lowest	13,738Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13.7%Highest NY: +4.2%	-3.6%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	54±9.9Highest 36% above NY	39±2.6Lowest about the NY average
Kids under 18	15.4%±5.1Lowest NY: 20.5%	23.5%±2.9Highest NY: 20.5%
Age 65+	30.6%±4.7Highest NY: 17.9%	19.1%±2.5Lowest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.2%Highest NY: 40.2%	29.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.7Lowest NY: 7%	3.6%±1.1Highest NY: 7%
	Olean and Schroon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,955±$10kHighest 19% below NY	$51,261±$7kLowest 40% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,800±$21kHighest 36% below NY	$86,100±$6kLowest 80% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$516±$33Lowest 68% below NY	$794±$52Highest 51% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,291Highest 50% below NY	$3,130Lowest 52% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.6%±36.9Lowest NY: 52.1%	52%±9.1Highest NY: 52.1%
	Olean and Schroon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Lowest NY: 14%	26.7%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.1%Highest NY: 54.3%	55.1%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 12 yrs newer than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minHighest 48% below NY	14 minLowest 56% below NY
Work from home	33.7%±16.1Highest NY: 14.9%	8.4%±2.6Lowest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#337 of 484 in NY
School district	—	OLEAN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	OLEAN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.2
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.