What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cairo has the most expensive homes ($263k median).

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

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	Cairo	Busti
People
Population	6,700Lowest	7,452Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.4%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+2.6%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	44.2±4.2Lowest 11% above NY	46.6±4.8Highest 17% above NY
	Busti and Cairo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.9%±3.5Lowest NY: 20.5%	19.9%±3.3Highest NY: 20.5%
	Busti and Cairo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.2Lowest NY: 17.9%	23.8%±3.5Highest NY: 17.9%
	Busti and Cairo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%	29.5%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.5Highest NY: 7%	2.4%±1.1Lowest NY: 7%
	Cairo and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,643±$22kHighest 7% below NY	$67,292±$9kLowest 22% below NY
	Cairo and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kHighest 38% below NY	$164,600±$12kLowest 61% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,015±$305Lowest 37% below NY	$1,085±$106Highest 33% below NY
	Busti and Cairo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,246Highest 35% below NY	$3,876Lowest 41% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.1%±16.2Lowest NY: 52.1%	55.5%±13.2Highest NY: 52.1%
	Busti and Cairo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.5%Lowest NY: 14%	14.4%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.2%Highest NY: 54.3%	72.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 14 yrs newer than NY	1963Lowest 4 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 13% below NY	21 minLowest 35% below NY
Work from home	11.1%±6.2Highest NY: 14.9%	9.5%±4.5Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Cairo and Busti 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	#461 of 484 in NY	—
School district	CAIRO-DURHAM 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.