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	EAST IRONDEQUOIT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · WEST IRONDEQUOIT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	PENFIELD SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	IRONDEQUOIT HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	12.2Lowest	12.6Highest
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.