What stands out worked out from the figures below

Busti has the most affordable homes ($165k median).

Mendon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).

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	Busti	Mendon
People
Population	7,452Highest	1,113Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.6±4.8Lowest 20% above U.S.	53.4±10.5Highest 37% above U.S.
	Mendon and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	14.6%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Busti and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.8%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29%±1.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	49.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Mendon and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,292±$9kLowest 17% below U.S.	$100,524±$23kHighest 25% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$164,600±$12kLowest 51% below U.S.	$357,000±$44kHighest 7% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,085±$106Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,230±$651Highest 13% below U.S.
	Mendon and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,876Lowest 24% above U.S.	$5,342Highest 71% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.5%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	88.6%±42.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Mendon and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	92.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 20% below U.S.	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.5%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Mendon and Busti 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

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.