What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Putnam has the highest household income ($92k).

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	Putnam
People
Population	271Lowest	540Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-6.9% NY: +4.2%
Median age	50.7±7.7Lowest 27% above NY	53.6±6.4Highest 35% above NY
	Putnam 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%	17.4%±5.2Highest NY: 20.5%
	Putnam and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34.3%±2.9Lowest NY: 17.9%	35.6%±3.4Highest NY: 17.9%
	Putnam and Benson 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%	31.4%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±5.6Lowest NY: 7%	2.8%±1.9Highest NY: 7%
	Putnam 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	$92,344±$14kHighest 7% above NY
	Putnam 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 46% below NY	$266,200±$48kHighest 37% below NY
	Putnam and Benson 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	$3,674Highest 44% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 NY: 52.1%	0%±100 NY: 52.1%
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest NY: 14%	7.2%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%	95.9%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 7 yrs newer than NY	1971Highest 12 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 20% below NY	21 minLowest 34% below NY
Work from home	9.6%±4.2Highest NY: 14.9%	8.6%±5.7Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Benson and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	PUTNAM CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	None in town
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.