What stands out worked out from the figures below

Benson has the shortest commute (26 min average).

Jay has the most people working from home (27.3%).

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	Jay
People
Population	271Lowest	471Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.7±7.7Lowest 30% above U.S.	52.1±10.5Highest 34% above U.S.
	Jay and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±9.3Highest U.S.: 22%	14.2%±7.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Benson and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34.3%±2.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	1.9%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Jay 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 14% below U.S.	$74,792±$25kHighest 7% below U.S.
	Jay 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±$15kLowest 31% below U.S.	$234,200±$45kHighest 30% below U.S.
	Jay and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,528Lowest 19% below U.S.	$3,588Highest 15% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	40%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Jay 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 U.S.: 12.5%	8.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	97%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	2001Highest 21 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	40 minHighest 50% above U.S.
Work from home	9.6%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27.3%±13.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Jay and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Jay/Westfield Joint Elementary School District
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.