What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chittenango has the most affordable homes ($183k median).

Benton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.3%).

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	Chittenango	Benton
People
Population	4,831Highest	2,948Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.6%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+5.3%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	41±4.5Highest 3% above NY	40.6±8.4Lowest about the NY average
	Chittenango and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.2%±4.8Lowest NY: 20.5%	30.1%±5.2Highest NY: 20.5%
	Benton and Chittenango are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2.7Lowest NY: 17.9%	24.8%±4.9Highest NY: 17.9%
	Benton and Chittenango are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.3%Highest NY: 40.2%	27.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±1.3Highest NY: 7%	1.1%±1Lowest NY: 7%
	Chittenango and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,786±$7kLowest 18% below NY	$74,767±$13kHighest 13% below NY
	Benton and Chittenango are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$182,500±$17kLowest 57% below NY	$258,600±$51kHighest 39% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$782±$189Lowest 52% below NY	$1,541±$628Highest 5% below NY
	Benton and Chittenango are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,000Highest 24% below NY	$3,391Lowest 48% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.1%±17.2Highest NY: 52.1%	14.5%±10.3Lowest NY: 52.1%
Below poverty line	14.6%Lowest NY: 14%	19.4%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.5%Lowest NY: 54.3%	75.9%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 14 yrs newer than NY	1964Lowest 5 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 19% below NY	23 minLowest 30% below NY
Work from home	8.2%±2.8Lowest NY: 14.9%	11.8%±5.4Highest NY: 14.9%
	Benton and Chittenango 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.