What stands out worked out from the figures below

Busti has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.6%).

Scriba 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	Busti	Scriba
People
Population	7,452Highest	6,603Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Highest NY: +4.2%	-3.3%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	46.6±4.8Highest 17% above NY	46.3±3.1Lowest 16% above NY
	Busti and Scriba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.3Highest NY: 20.5%	19.7%±3.6Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Busti and Scriba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.8%±3.5Highest NY: 17.9%	18%±4.3Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Busti and Scriba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.5%Highest NY: 40.2%	25.5%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.1Highest NY: 7%	1.2%±0.8Lowest NY: 7%
	Busti and Scriba 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 22% below NY	$92,036±$17kHighest 7% above NY
	Scriba and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$164,600±$12kHighest 61% below NY	$158,700±$10kLowest 63% below NY
	Busti and Scriba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,085±$106Highest 33% below NY	$980±$67Lowest 40% below NY
	Busti and Scriba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,876Highest 41% below NY	$3,649Lowest 45% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.5%±13.2Highest NY: 52.1%	43.7%±13.4Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Busti and Scriba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.4%Highest NY: 14%	10.3%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%	81.5%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 4 yrs newer than NY	1985Highest 26 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 35% below NY	21 minHighest 34% below NY
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Highest NY: 14.9%	6.6%±2.4Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Busti and Scriba 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.