What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ellicott has the most affordable homes ($121k median).

Busti has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.6%).

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	Ellicott	Busti
People
Population	8,659Highest	7,452Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+2.6%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	45.3±3.1Lowest 14% above NY	46.6±4.8Highest 17% above NY
	Busti and Ellicott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±3.2Highest NY: 20.5%	19.9%±3.3Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Ellicott and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.1%±3.2Highest NY: 17.9%	23.8%±3.5Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Ellicott and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%	29.5%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±0.9 NY: 7%	2.4%±1.1 NY: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,880±$7kLowest 29% below NY	$67,292±$9kHighest 22% below NY
	Busti and Ellicott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$120,700±$10kLowest 72% below NY	$164,600±$12kHighest 61% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$875±$46Lowest 46% below NY	$1,085±$106Highest 33% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,662Lowest 60% below NY	$3,876Highest 41% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.5%±9.3Lowest NY: 52.1%	55.5%±13.2Highest NY: 52.1%
	Busti and Ellicott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11%Lowest NY: 14%	14.4%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%	72.7%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 4 yrs older than NY	1963Highest 4 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 52% below NY	21 minHighest 35% below NY
Work from home	6.2%±2.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	9.5%±4.5Highest NY: 14.9%
	Busti and Ellicott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#203 of 484 in NY	—
School district	FALCONER CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · SOUTHWESTERN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT AT JAMESTOWN	—
High school in town	FALCONER MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL	—
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5	—
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.