What stands out worked out from the figures below

Denning has the most affordable homes ($310k median).

Rochester has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.6%).

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	Denning	Rochester
People
Population	587Lowest	7,362Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-10.5%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-0.6%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	50.2±17.5Highest 26% above NY	48.6±4.2Lowest 22% above NY
	Denning and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.5%±5.1Lowest NY: 20.5%	16.8%±3.5Highest NY: 20.5%
	Rochester and Denning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	12.9%±4.9Lowest NY: 17.9%	18.6%±3.3Highest NY: 17.9%
	Rochester and Denning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%	44.9%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±2.5Lowest NY: 7%	3.6%±2Highest NY: 7%
	Rochester and Denning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,250±$27kLowest about the NY average	$86,691±$18kHighest about the NY average
	Rochester and Denning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$310,400±$71kLowest 27% below NY	$354,300±$33kHighest 16% below NY
	Rochester and Denning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,290±$166 20% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,620Lowest 45% below NY	$4,746Highest 28% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±78.8Lowest NY: 52.1%	56.8%±24.8Highest NY: 52.1%
	Rochester and Denning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	35.9%Highest NY: 14%	8.7%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%	82.9%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 9 yrs newer than NY	1975Highest 16 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 10% above NY	36 minLowest 9% above NY
Work from home	17.6%±0.7Lowest NY: 14.9%	26.3%±4.9Highest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#274 of 484 in NY
School district	—	RONDOUT VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	RONDOUT VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.7
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.