What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ward has the most kids (16.4% under 18).

Piercefield has the shortest commute (22 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	Ward	Piercefield
People
Population	384Highest	311Lowest
Median age	57.3±5.6Highest 44% above NY	55.2±24.4Lowest 39% above NY
	Ward and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±5.7Highest NY: 20.5%	14.1%±8.1Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Ward and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34.9%±11.4Highest NY: 17.9%	29.3%±8.6Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Ward and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.3%Lowest NY: 40.2%	25.5%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.8Highest NY: 7%	0%±6.4Lowest NY: 7%
	Ward and Piercefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,104±$15kLowest 13% below NY	$89,191±$13kHighest 4% above NY
	Piercefield and Ward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$133,800±$31kLowest 68% below NY	$153,100±$48kHighest 64% below NY
	Piercefield and Ward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,075±$207 34% below NY	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,118Highest 53% below NY	$2,367Lowest 64% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.1%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%	71.4%±100Highest NY: 52.1%
	Piercefield and Ward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.2%Lowest NY: 14%	8%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%	94%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 20 yrs newer than NY	1942Lowest 17 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	40 minHighest 24% above NY	22 minLowest 34% below NY
Work from home	4.3%±4.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	5%±3.7Highest NY: 14.9%
	Piercefield and Ward 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

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.