What stands out worked out from the figures below

Walworth has the most people working from home (17.9%).

Marion has the most affordable homes ($180k 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	Walworth	Marion
People
Population	9,273Highest	4,523Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.1%Highest NY: +4.2%	-3.8%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	44.9±2.8Lowest 13% above NY	47.9±4.2Highest 20% above NY
	Marion and Walworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±3.4Highest NY: 20.5%	16.4%±4.1Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Walworth and Marion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.6%±2.7Lowest NY: 17.9%	19.1%±4.1Highest NY: 17.9%
	Marion and Walworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41%Highest NY: 40.2%	20%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±0.9Lowest NY: 7%	3.3%±2.1Highest NY: 7%
	Marion and Walworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,286±$10kHighest 10% above NY	$80,469±$12kLowest 6% below NY
	Walworth and Marion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$232,000±$13kHighest 45% below NY	$180,300±$27kLowest 57% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$910±$256Highest 44% below NY	$639±$394Lowest 61% below NY
	Walworth and Marion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,775Highest 12% below NY	$4,580Lowest 30% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.8%±46.6Lowest NY: 52.1%	44%±16.8Highest NY: 52.1%
	Marion and Walworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest NY: 14%	5.2%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.9%Highest NY: 54.3%	76.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 24 yrs newer than NY	1974Lowest 15 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 28% below NY	25 minHighest 25% below NY
Work from home	17.9%±4.6Highest NY: 14.9%	5.9%±3.6Lowest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#446 of 484 in NY	#194 of 484 in NY
School district	GANANDA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	MARION CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	None in town	MARION JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.6
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.