What stands out worked out from the figures below

Benson has the most people working from home (9.6%).

Hope has the most kids (19.6% under 18).

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	Hope
People
Population	271Lowest	587Highest
Median age	50.7±7.7Highest 27% above NY	50.3±8.5Lowest 26% above NY
	Benson and Hope 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%	19.6%±0.7Highest NY: 20.5%
	Hope 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%	23.7%±10.2Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Benson and Hope 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%	22.7%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±5.6Lowest NY: 7%	2.4%±3.1Highest NY: 7%
	Hope 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±$13kLowest 19% below NY	$72,188±$13kHighest 16% below NY
	Hope 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	$211,300±$106kLowest 50% below NY
	Benson and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,225±$217 24% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,528Lowest 62% below NY	$2,551Highest 61% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%	61.9%±98.1Highest NY: 52.1%
	Hope 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%	17.5%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%	90.3%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 7 yrs newer than NY	1967Highest 8 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 20% below NY	28 minHighest 13% below NY
Work from home	9.6%±4.2Highest NY: 14.9%	6.6%±3.4Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Benson and Hope 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.