What stands out worked out from the figures below

Benson has the most expensive homes ($230k median).

German has the most affordable homes ($113k 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	Benson	German
People
Population	271Lowest	274Highest
Median age	50.7±7.7Lowest 27% above NY	53.8±5.8Highest 35% above NY
	German and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±9.3Lowest NY: 20.5%	15.3%±6.4Highest NY: 20.5%
	German and Benson 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%	27.7%±7.5Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Benson and German are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.1%Lowest NY: 40.2%	22.2%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±5.6Lowest NY: 7%	3.6%±2.6Highest NY: 7%
	German and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,375±$13kHighest 19% below NY	$67,813±$11kLowest 21% below NY
	Benson and German 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	$112,500±$15kLowest 73% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$817±$260 50% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,528Highest 62% below NY	$1,844Lowest 72% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%	14.3%±100Highest NY: 52.1%
	German 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%	12.2%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest NY: 54.3%	84.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 7 yrs newer than NY	1972Highest 13 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 20% below NY	43 minHighest 31% above NY
Work from home	9.6%±4.2Highest NY: 14.9%	6.4%±4.1Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Benson and German 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.