What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brutus has the most people working from home (8.9%).

Mentz has the most affordable homes ($116k 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	Brutus	Mentz
People
Population	4,269Highest	1,753Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.4%Highest NY: +4.2%	-11.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	43.6±3.5Highest 10% above NY	43.1±5.3Lowest 8% above NY
	Brutus and Mentz are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.9Lowest NY: 20.5%	20.7%±3.5Highest NY: 20.5%
	Mentz and Brutus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±3.1Lowest NY: 17.9%	23.6%±3.4Highest NY: 17.9%
	Mentz and Brutus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.2%Highest NY: 40.2%	9.3%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.2Lowest NY: 7%	3.7%±3.4Highest NY: 7%
	Mentz and Brutus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,031±$10kHighest 10% below NY	$52,602±$5kLowest 39% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$154,900±$14kHighest 63% below NY	$115,500±$31kLowest 73% below NY
	Brutus and Mentz are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,114±$122Highest 31% below NY	$1,045±$130Lowest 36% below NY
	Brutus and Mentz are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,294Highest 35% below NY	$2,901Lowest 56% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.9%±25.8Lowest NY: 52.1%	55.3%±24.4Highest NY: 52.1%
	Mentz and Brutus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.2%Lowest NY: 14%	20%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.2% NY: 54.3%	74.2% NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 15 yrs newer than NY	1956Lowest 3 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 18% below NY	29 minHighest 13% below NY
Work from home	8.9%±3.9Highest NY: 14.9%	3.8%±3.4Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Brutus and Mentz are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#313 of 484 in NY	—
School district	WEEDSPORT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	PORT BYRON CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	WEEDSPORT JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	PORT BYRON SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	9.2Lowest	13.5Highest
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.