What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pike has the most affordable homes ($129k median).

Seneca has the most people working from home (10.9%).

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	Pike	Seneca
People
Population	812Lowest	2,622Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12.5%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-2.8%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	48.3±4.4Highest 21% above NY	44.5±6.2Lowest 12% above NY
	Pike and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±4.2Lowest NY: 20.5%	19.5%±3.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Seneca and Pike are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±6Highest NY: 17.9%	22.3%±4.5Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Pike and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15.1%Lowest NY: 40.2%	22.1%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±2.3Highest NY: 7%	2.2%±1.4Lowest NY: 7%
	Pike and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,250±$11kLowest 17% below NY	$90,658±$21kHighest 5% above NY
	Seneca and Pike are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$129,100±$18kLowest 70% below NY	$192,700±$9kHighest 55% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$810±$762Lowest 50% below NY	$1,549±$420Highest 4% below NY
	Seneca and Pike are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,947Highest 55% below NY	$2,810Lowest 57% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	83.7%±13.7Highest NY: 52.1%	7.2%±24.9Lowest NY: 52.1%
Below poverty line	9%Highest NY: 14%	6.2%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.5%Lowest NY: 54.3%	91.6%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Highest 6 yrs newer than NY	1945Lowest 14 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 33% below NY	27 minHighest 17% below NY
Work from home	2.5%±1.7Lowest NY: 14.9%	10.9%±3.6Highest NY: 14.9%
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.