What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sullivan has the most affordable homes ($194k median).

Pendleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10%).

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	Pendleton
People
Population	14,690Highest	7,034Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.6%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+10%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	45±2.1Lowest 13% above NY	46.7±4.1Highest 17% above NY
	Pendleton and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±1.9Lowest NY: 20.5%	21.6%±4.8Highest NY: 20.5%
	Pendleton and Sullivan 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%	23%±4.3Highest NY: 17.9%
	Pendleton 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%	34.9%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.3Highest NY: 7%	4%±2.1Lowest NY: 7%
	Sullivan and Pendleton 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	$113,750±$27kHighest 32% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$194,100±$12kLowest 54% below NY	$294,300±$39kHighest 31% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$863±$135Lowest 47% below NY	$994±$119Highest 39% below NY
	Pendleton 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	$6,623Highest about the NY average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.6%±13.8Highest NY: 52.1%	6.6%±17.3Lowest NY: 52.1%
Below poverty line	8.2%Lowest NY: 14%	9.4%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%	91.1%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 15 yrs newer than NY	1978Highest 19 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 21% below NY	23 minLowest 31% below NY
Work from home	11.9%±1.9Lowest NY: 14.9%	18.4%±6.6Highest NY: 14.9%
	Pendleton and Sullivan 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	#87 of 484 in NY	#67 of 484 in NY
School district	CHITTENANGO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	STARPOINT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	CHITTENANGO HIGH SCHOOL	STARPOINT HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Lowest	14.5Highest
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.