Compare towns
Beacon vs Suffern
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New York.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Beacon has the most people working from home (21.2%).
Suffern has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.7%).
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.
| Measure | Beacon | Suffern |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 14,834Highest |
11,441Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -11.4%Lowest NY: +4.2% |
+6.7%Highest NY: +4.2% |
| Median age | 42±2.2Highest 6% above NY |
40.7±3.5Lowest about the NY average |
| Beacon and Suffern are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 20%±3.1Lowest NY: 20.5% |
23.5%±3.4Highest NY: 20.5% |
| Suffern and Beacon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Age 65+ | 14.4%±2.2Lowest NY: 17.9% |
19.3%±3.2Highest NY: 17.9% |
| Suffern and Beacon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 48.9%Highest NY: 40.2% |
43.2%Lowest NY: 40.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.4%±1Lowest NY: 7% |
6.1%±1.5Highest NY: 7% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $107,859±$21kHighest 25% above NY |
$104,607±$14kLowest 22% above NY |
| Beacon and Suffern are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $471,600±$27kHighest 11% above NY |
$382,100±$30kLowest 10% below NY |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,658±$145Lowest about the NY average |
$2,091±$179Highest 29% above NY |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $7,958Lowest 21% above NY |
$8,692Highest 32% above NY |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 46.4%±9.3Lowest NY: 52.1% |
47.3%±11.2Highest NY: 52.1% |
| Suffern and Beacon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 9%Highest NY: 14% |
6.1%Lowest NY: 14% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 61.1%Lowest NY: 54.3% |
67.4%Highest NY: 54.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1957Lowest 2 yrs older than NY |
1971Highest 12 yrs newer than NY |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 41 minHighest 27% above NY |
29 minLowest 12% below NY |
| Work from home | 21.2%±4.2Highest NY: 14.9% |
12.7%±2.5Lowest NY: 14.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #423 of 484 in NY | — |
| School district | BEACON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT | — |
| High school in town | BEACON HIGH SCHOOL | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.6 |
— |
| 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.