What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dansville has grown the fastest since 2010 (-6.1%).

Russia has the most expensive homes ($232k 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	Dansville	Russia
People
Population	4,653Highest	2,272Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.1%Highest NY: +4.2%	-12.3%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	45.2±3.7Highest 14% above NY	43.9±2.9Lowest 10% above NY
	Dansville and Russia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17%±3.8Lowest NY: 20.5%	21.3%±4.1Highest NY: 20.5%
	Russia and Dansville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.2%±5.4Highest NY: 17.9%	20.8%±3.7Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Dansville and Russia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.6%Lowest NY: 40.2%	28.5%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±1.2Lowest NY: 7%	3.3%±1.7Highest NY: 7%
	Russia and Dansville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,329±$7kLowest 33% below NY	$86,116±$17kHighest about the NY average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$118,600±$10kLowest 72% below NY	$232,200±$44kHighest 45% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$906±$168Highest 44% below NY	$888±$325Lowest 45% below NY
	Dansville and Russia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,529Highest 46% below NY	$2,939Lowest 55% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69%±16.9Highest NY: 52.1%	31.1%±10.8Lowest NY: 52.1%
Below poverty line	6.7%Lowest NY: 14%	9.1%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72%Lowest NY: 54.3%	89.7%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1959Highest same as NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 19% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	7.9%±4.5Highest NY: 14.9%	6.2%±3.5Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Dansville and Russia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	POLAND CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	POLAND JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.6
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.