What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dayton has the most affordable homes ($112k median).

Seneca has grown the fastest since 2010 (-2.8%).

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	Dayton	Seneca
People
Population	1,829Lowest	2,622Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-10.4%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-2.8%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	44.2±5.5Lowest 11% above NY	44.5±6.2Highest 12% above NY
	Seneca and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.7%±3.9Highest NY: 20.5%	19.5%±3.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Dayton and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.5%±1.7Lowest NY: 17.9%	22.3%±4.5Highest NY: 17.9%
	Seneca and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.5%Lowest NY: 40.2%	22.1%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.8Highest NY: 7%	2.2%±1.4Lowest NY: 7%
	Dayton and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,553±$10kLowest 20% below NY	$90,658±$21kHighest 5% above NY
	Seneca and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$111,700±$13kLowest 74% below NY	$192,700±$9kHighest 55% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$907±$192Lowest 44% below NY	$1,549±$420Highest 4% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,161Highest 52% below NY	$2,810Lowest 57% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26%±17.7Highest NY: 52.1%	7.2%±24.9Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Dayton and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.3%Highest NY: 14%	6.2%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.8%Lowest NY: 54.3%	91.6%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Highest 5 yrs older than NY	1945Lowest 14 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 6% above NY	27 minLowest 17% below NY
Work from home	13.6%±6.7Highest NY: 14.9%	10.9%±3.6Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Dayton and Seneca 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.