What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Irondequoit has the most affordable homes ($183k 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	Penfield	Irondequoit
People
Population	38,965Lowest	50,657Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Highest NY: +4.2%	-1.3%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	45±1.6Highest 13% above NY	43.3±1.7Lowest 9% 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	23%±2.1Highest NY: 20.5%	19.9%±1.7Lowest 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+	21.3%±1.5Lowest NY: 17.9%	22.6%±1.5Highest 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+	58%Highest NY: 40.2%	40.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±0.6Lowest NY: 7%	3.8%±0.6Highest 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	$119,154±$5kHighest 39% above NY	$79,162±$3kLowest 8% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$291,500±$12kHighest 31% below NY	$182,500±$3kLowest 57% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,473±$120Highest 9% below NY	$1,159±$42Lowest 29% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,223Highest 10% above NY	$5,774Lowest 12% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±6.7Lowest NY: 52.1%	57.5%±8.6Highest 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	5.3%Lowest NY: 14%	9.2%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.8%Highest NY: 54.3%	78.8%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 22 yrs newer than NY	1955Lowest 4 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minHighest 39% below NY	20 minLowest 40% below NY
Work from home	23.2%±3Highest NY: 14.9%	14.5%±1.8Lowest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#21 of 484 in NY	#127 of 484 in NY
School district	PENFIELD CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · WEBSTER CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	—
High school in town	PENFIELD SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	—
Students per teacherat that high school	12.2	—
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.