What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hope has the most kids (19.6% under 18).

Benson has the most people working from home (9.6%).

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	Hope	Benson
People
Population	587Highest	271Lowest
Median age	50.3±8.5Lowest 26% above NY	50.7±7.7Highest 27% above NY
	Benson and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±0.7Highest NY: 20.5%	14.4%±9.3Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Hope and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.7%±10.2Lowest NY: 17.9%	34.3%±2.9Highest NY: 17.9%
	Benson and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.7%Highest NY: 40.2%	21.1%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±3.1Highest NY: 7%	1.1%±5.6Lowest NY: 7%
	Hope and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,188±$13kHighest 16% below NY	$69,375±$13kLowest 19% below NY
	Hope and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$211,300±$106kLowest 50% below NY	$230,100±$15kHighest 46% below NY
	Benson and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,225±$217 24% below NY	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,551Highest 61% below NY	$2,528Lowest 62% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.9%±98.1Highest NY: 52.1%	0%±100Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Hope and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.5%Highest NY: 14%	5.2%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.3%Highest NY: 54.3%	86.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Highest 8 yrs newer than NY	1966Lowest 7 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 13% below NY	26 minLowest 20% below NY
Work from home	6.6%±3.4Lowest NY: 14.9%	9.6%±4.2Highest NY: 14.9%
	Benson and Hope 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.