What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pendleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10%).

Sand Lake has the most expensive homes ($336k median).

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	Pendleton	Sand Lake
People
Population	7,034Lowest	8,326Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest NY: +4.2%	-2.1%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	46.7±4.1Lowest 17% above NY	47.9±4.7Highest 20% above NY
	Sand Lake and Pendleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±4.8Lowest NY: 20.5%	22.1%±4.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Sand Lake and Pendleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23%±4.3Highest NY: 17.9%	22.4%±4.6Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Pendleton and Sand Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%	40.4%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2.1Lowest NY: 7%	4.7%±2.5Highest NY: 7%
	Sand Lake and Pendleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,750±$27kLowest 32% above NY	$120,089±$23kHighest 40% above NY
	Sand Lake and Pendleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$294,300±$39kLowest 31% below NY	$336,200±$28kHighest 21% below NY
	Sand Lake and Pendleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$994±$119Lowest 39% below NY	$1,033±$199Highest 36% below NY
	Sand Lake and Pendleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,623Highest about the NY average	$6,341Lowest 4% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	6.6%±17.3Lowest NY: 52.1%	23.7%±12.3Highest NY: 52.1%
	Sand Lake and Pendleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.4%Highest NY: 14%	5.1%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.1%Highest NY: 54.3%	85.2%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 19 yrs newer than NY	1976Lowest 17 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 31% below NY	25 minHighest 24% below NY
Work from home	18.4%±6.6 NY: 14.9%	18.4%±5.4 NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#67 of 484 in NY	#13 of 484 in NY
School district	STARPOINT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	AVERILL PARK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	STARPOINT HIGH SCHOOL	AVERILL PARK HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	14.5Lowest	14.9Highest
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.