What stands out worked out from the figures below

Elba has the shortest commute (19 min average).

Steuben has the most people working from home (20.1%).

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	Elba	Steuben
People
Population	485Lowest	828Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-17.5%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-1.7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.7±10.7Highest about the NY average	40.3±7.1Lowest about the NY average
	Elba and Steuben are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±6.8Lowest NY: 20.5%	27.2%±3.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Steuben and Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.5%±3.8Lowest NY: 17.9%	24.5%±3.6Highest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.3%Lowest NY: 40.2%	21%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±2.8Highest NY: 7%	1.4%±1.1Lowest NY: 7%
	Elba and Steuben are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,625±$23kLowest 24% below NY	$66,181±$15kHighest 23% below NY
	Steuben and Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$143,300±$13kLowest 66% below NY	$151,600±$22kHighest 64% below NY
	Steuben and Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$763±$257Lowest 53% below NY	$850±$204Highest 48% below NY
	Steuben and Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,638Highest 45% below NY	$2,641Lowest 60% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.5%±70.3Highest NY: 52.1%	29.8%±59.9Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Elba and Steuben are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest NY: 14%	11.6%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Highest NY: 54.3%	85%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1984Highest 25 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 42% below NY	28 minHighest 16% below NY
Work from home	5.7%±3.9Lowest NY: 14.9%	20.1%±6.8Highest NY: 14.9%
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.