What stands out worked out from the figures below

Vershire has the most expensive homes ($209k median).

Herkimer has the shortest commute (20 min average).

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	Vershire	Herkimer
People
Population	842Lowest	7,566Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.7±9.3Highest 17% above U.S.	45.4±3.4Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Vershire and Herkimer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	14.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Vershire and Herkimer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.2%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Vershire and Herkimer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	15.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.4%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Herkimer and Vershire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,618±$12kHighest 11% below U.S.	$48,529±$16kLowest 40% below U.S.
	Vershire and Herkimer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,100±$55kHighest 37% below U.S.	$133,200±$29kLowest 60% below U.S.
	Vershire and Herkimer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,117±$80Highest 21% below U.S.	$821±$82Lowest 42% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,640Highest 49% above U.S.	$3,607Lowest 16% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.8%±24.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48.7%±16.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Vershire and Herkimer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	26.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	52.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 23% above U.S.	20 minLowest 24% below U.S.
Work from home	12.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.4%±6.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Vershire and Herkimer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.