Compare towns
Sterling vs Lisbon vs Wolcott
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New York.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Sterling has the most people working from home (14.8%).
Lisbon has the shortest commute (19 min average).
Wolcott has the most affordable homes ($88k 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.
| Measure | Sterling | Lisbon | Wolcott |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 3,192Lowest |
4,235Highest |
3,971 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6%Highest NY: +4.2% |
+2.9% NY: +4.2% |
-10.1%Lowest NY: +4.2% |
| Median age | 51.6±3.5 30% above NY |
52.2±4Highest 31% above NY |
42.1±5.1Lowest 6% above NY |
| Lisbon and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.3%±3.3Lowest NY: 20.5% |
19.3%±5.4 NY: 20.5% |
22.9%±4.3Highest NY: 20.5% |
| Wolcott and Lisbon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 27.4%±5.3Highest NY: 17.9% |
26.2%±6.3 NY: 17.9% |
20.3%±5Lowest NY: 17.9% |
| Sterling and Lisbon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 26.9%Highest NY: 40.2% |
24% NY: 40.2% |
14.1%Lowest NY: 40.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±3Highest NY: 7% |
2.1%±1.7Lowest NY: 7% |
3.5%±1.5 NY: 7% |
| Sterling and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $59,750±$9k 31% below NY |
$73,963±$12kHighest 14% below NY |
$54,569±$10kLowest 37% below NY |
| Lisbon and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $141,200±$41kHighest 67% below NY |
$131,200±$47k 69% below NY |
$87,500±$16kLowest 79% below NY |
| Sterling and Lisbon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $681±$411 58% below NY |
$944±$135Highest 42% below NY |
$667±$106Lowest 59% below NY |
| Lisbon and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,568 61% below NY |
$3,137Highest 52% below NY |
$2,486Lowest 62% below NY |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 35.3%±20.8Lowest NY: 52.1% |
35.6%±37.1 NY: 52.1% |
53.7%±13.6Highest NY: 52.1% |
| Wolcott and Lisbon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 14.1% NY: 14% |
8%Lowest NY: 14% |
20.9%Highest NY: 14% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 90.4% NY: 54.3% |
91.8%Highest NY: 54.3% |
77.2%Lowest NY: 54.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1953Lowest 6 yrs older than NY |
1980Highest 21 yrs newer than NY |
1955 4 yrs older than NY |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 min 18% below NY |
19 minLowest 41% below NY |
31 minHighest 4% below NY |
| Work from home | 14.8%±7Highest NY: 14.9% |
5.7%±6.4 NY: 14.9% |
3.2%±2.8Lowest NY: 14.9% |
| Sterling and Lisbon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #407 of 484 in NY | #367 of 484 in NY |
| School district | — | — | NORTH ROSE-WOLCOTT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · RED CREEK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT |
| High school in town | — | — | RED CREEK HIGH SCHOOL |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 9.6 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.