What stands out worked out from the figures below

Benson has the most kids (14.4% under 18).

Esperance has the most people working from home (18.4%).

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	Benson	Esperance
People
Population	271Highest	248Lowest
Median age	50.7±7.7Highest 27% above NY	48.6±11.9Lowest 22% above NY
	Benson and Esperance are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±9.3Highest NY: 20.5%	9.7%±11Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Benson and Esperance are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34.3%±2.9Highest NY: 17.9%	23%±5.7Lowest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.1%Highest NY: 40.2%	20.3%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±5.6Highest NY: 7%	0.8%±6.1Lowest NY: 7%
	Benson and Esperance are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,375±$13kLowest 19% below NY	$73,333±$6kHighest 15% below NY
	Esperance and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$230,100±$15kHighest 46% below NY	$191,700±$46kLowest 55% below NY
	Benson and Esperance are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,528Lowest 62% below NY	$4,276Highest 35% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%	100%±100Highest NY: 52.1%
	Esperance and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest NY: 14%	9.7%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%	88.3%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 7 yrs newer than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 20% below NY	26 minHighest 19% below NY
Work from home	9.6%±4.2Lowest NY: 14.9%	18.4%±11.6Highest NY: 14.9%
	Esperance and Benson 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.