What stands out worked out from the figures below

Scriba has the most affordable homes ($159k median).

Hector has the most people working from home (13.6%).

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	Scriba	Hector
People
Population	6,603Highest	4,850Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.3%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-0.9%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	46.3±3.1Lowest 16% above NY	51.1±4Highest 28% above NY
	Hector and Scriba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.7%±3.6Highest NY: 20.5%	18%±3.8Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Scriba and Hector are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18%±4.3Lowest NY: 17.9%	25%±5Highest NY: 17.9%
	Hector and Scriba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.5%Lowest NY: 40.2%	36.9%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.2%±0.8Lowest NY: 7%	3.2%±1.6Highest NY: 7%
	Hector and Scriba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,036±$17kHighest 7% above NY	$79,904±$19kLowest 7% below NY
	Scriba and Hector are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$158,700±$10kLowest 63% below NY	$218,700±$32kHighest 48% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$980±$67Lowest 40% below NY	$1,083±$525Highest 33% below NY
	Hector and Scriba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,649Lowest 45% below NY	$4,072Highest 38% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±13.4Lowest NY: 52.1%	81.7%±21.3Highest NY: 52.1%
Below poverty line	10.3%Lowest NY: 14%	15.6%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.5%Lowest NY: 54.3%	91.4%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 26 yrs newer than NY	1979Lowest 20 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 34% below NY	27 minHighest 18% below NY
Work from home	6.6%±2.4Lowest NY: 14.9%	13.6%±4.8Highest NY: 14.9%
	Hector and Scriba 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.