What stands out worked out from the figures below

Irondequoit has the most affordable homes ($183k median).

Penfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.8%).

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	Irondequoit	Penfield
People
Population	50,657Highest	38,965Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.3%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+8.8%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	43.3±1.7Lowest 9% above NY	45±1.6Highest 13% above NY
	Penfield and Irondequoit are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±1.7Lowest NY: 20.5%	23%±2.1Highest NY: 20.5%
	Penfield and Irondequoit are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±1.5Highest NY: 17.9%	21.3%±1.5Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Irondequoit and Penfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%	58%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±0.6Highest NY: 7%	2.9%±0.6Lowest NY: 7%
	Irondequoit and Penfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,162±$3kLowest 8% below NY	$119,154±$5kHighest 39% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$182,500±$3kLowest 57% below NY	$291,500±$12kHighest 31% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,159±$42Lowest 29% below NY	$1,473±$120Highest 9% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,774Lowest 12% below NY	$7,223Highest 10% above NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±8.6Highest NY: 52.1%	50.9%±6.7Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Irondequoit and Penfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.2%Highest NY: 14%	5.3%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.8%Lowest NY: 54.3%	80.8%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 4 yrs older than NY	1981Highest 22 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 40% below NY	20 minHighest 39% below NY
Work from home	14.5%±1.8Lowest NY: 14.9%	23.2%±3Highest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#127 of 484 in NY	#21 of 484 in NY
School district	EAST IRONDEQUOIT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · WEST IRONDEQUOIT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	PENFIELD CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · WEBSTER CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	IRONDEQUOIT HIGH SCHOOL	PENFIELD SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Highest	12.2Lowest
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.