What stands out worked out from the figures below

Panama has the oldest population (median age 46.6).

DeRuyter has the most people working from home (16.1%).

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	Panama	DeRuyter
People
Population	451Highest	349Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-26.9% NY: +4.2%
Median age	46.6±6.9Highest 17% above NY	41.3±16.1Lowest 4% above NY
	Panama and DeRuyter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.4%±3.1Lowest NY: 20.5%	22.6%±8.2Highest NY: 20.5%
	DeRuyter and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.3%±6.3Lowest NY: 17.9%	25.8%±4.5Highest NY: 17.9%
	DeRuyter and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%	23.8%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.8Highest NY: 7%	3.7%±6Lowest NY: 7%
	Panama and DeRuyter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,865±$8kHighest 29% below NY	$55,000±$23kLowest 36% below NY
	Panama and DeRuyter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$105,400±$14kLowest 75% below NY	$107,600±$9kHighest 75% below NY
	DeRuyter and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$785±$43Highest 52% below NY	$456±$50Lowest 72% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,500Highest 62% below NY	$2,407Lowest 63% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.9%±24.1Lowest NY: 52.1%	67.2%±39Highest NY: 52.1%
	DeRuyter and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.9%Lowest NY: 14%	16.3%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%	62%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Highest 6 yrs newer than NY	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 27% below NY	25 minHighest 24% below NY
Work from home	4.9%±2.9Lowest NY: 14.9%	16.1%±13.1Highest NY: 14.9%
	DeRuyter and Panama 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.