What stands out worked out from the figures below

Strafford has the most expensive homes ($431k median).

Gerry has the most affordable homes ($119k 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	Strafford	Gerry
People
Population	1,372Lowest	1,668Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.4±4.7Lowest 32% above U.S.	52.4±5.7Highest 35% above U.S.
	Gerry and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%	20.9%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Strafford and Gerry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.9%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	23.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Strafford and Gerry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,833±$19kHighest 37% above U.S.	$68,667±$12kLowest 15% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$431,300±$40kHighest 30% above U.S.	$119,200±$10kLowest 64% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$789Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,138±$260Highest 19% below U.S.
	Gerry and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,149Highest 129% above U.S.	$2,606Lowest 16% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.6%±48Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	61.2%±16.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Gerry and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	16.1%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.2%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Strafford School District	CASSADAGA VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	None in town	CASSADAGA VALLEY MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.7
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.