What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sullivan has the most people working from home (11.9%).

Marilla has the most expensive homes ($286k 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	Sullivan	Marilla
People
Population	14,690Highest	5,148Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.6%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-2.6%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	45±2.1Lowest 13% above NY	46.5±5.5Highest 17% above NY
	Marilla and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±1.9Highest NY: 20.5%	15.4%±4.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Sullivan and Marilla are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.2%±1.5Lowest NY: 17.9%	21.6%±4.8Highest NY: 17.9%
	Marilla and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29%Lowest NY: 40.2%	33.1%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.3Highest NY: 7%	3%±1.9Lowest NY: 7%
	Sullivan and Marilla are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,948±$6kLowest 6% below NY	$92,787±$23kHighest 8% above NY
	Marilla and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$194,100±$12kLowest 54% below NY	$286,400±$36kHighest 32% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$863±$135Lowest 47% below NY	$952±$95Highest 41% below NY
	Marilla and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,542Lowest 31% below NY	$5,098Highest 23% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.6%±13.8Highest NY: 52.1%	27.9%±44.9Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Sullivan and Marilla are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest NY: 14%	2.7%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%	92.4%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 15 yrs newer than NY	1972Lowest 13 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 21% below NY	28 minHighest 13% below NY
Work from home	11.9%±1.9Highest NY: 14.9%	4.9%±2.3Lowest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#87 of 484 in NY	#258 of 484 in NY
School district	CHITTENANGO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	IROQUOIS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	CHITTENANGO HIGH SCHOOL	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3	—
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.