What stands out worked out from the figures below

Locke has the shortest commute (23 min average).

Bethany has the most people working from home (11.8%).

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	Locke	Bethany
People
Population	1,805Highest	1,754Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.7%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+0.8%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	39.9±6.8Highest about the NY average	38.8±3.9Lowest about the NY average
	Locke and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25%±4.4Highest NY: 20.5%	24.9%±5.7Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Locke and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.3%±1.9Highest NY: 17.9%	15.9%±1.2Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Locke and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.7%Lowest NY: 40.2%	23.3%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±3.1Highest NY: 7%	4.1%±2.1Lowest NY: 7%
	Locke and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,125±$5kLowest 20% below NY	$75,859±$16kHighest 12% below NY
	Bethany and Locke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$186,800±$17kHighest 56% below NY	$170,600±$14kLowest 60% below NY
	Locke and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,099±$140Highest 32% below NY	$887±$196Lowest 45% below NY
	Locke and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,267Lowest 50% below NY	$4,205Highest 36% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.7%±19.2Lowest NY: 52.1%	40.3%±28.7Highest NY: 52.1%
	Bethany and Locke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.2%Highest NY: 14%	13%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.4%Lowest NY: 54.3%	76.8%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 22 yrs newer than NY	1962Lowest 3 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 28% below NY	28 minHighest 14% below NY
Work from home	4.8%±2.5Lowest NY: 14.9%	11.8%±6.1Highest NY: 14.9%
	Bethany and Locke 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.