What stands out worked out from the figures below

Seneca has grown the fastest since 2010 (-2.8%).

Bennington has the most expensive homes ($244k 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	Seneca	Bennington
People
Population	2,622Lowest	3,220Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.8%Highest NY: +4.2%	-3.7%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	44.5±6.2Lowest 12% above NY	46.7±5.8Highest 17% above NY
	Bennington and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±3.9Lowest NY: 20.5%	20.5%±4.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Bennington and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±4.5Lowest NY: 17.9%	22.4%±4.5Highest NY: 17.9%
	Bennington and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.1%Lowest NY: 40.2%	26%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.4Lowest NY: 7%	2.5%±1.7Highest NY: 7%
	Bennington and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,658±$21kHighest 5% above NY	$89,050±$10kLowest 4% above NY
	Seneca and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$192,700±$9kLowest 55% below NY	$244,400±$24kHighest 42% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,549±$420Highest 4% below NY	$942±$344Lowest 42% below NY
	Seneca and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,810Lowest 57% below NY	$4,591Highest 30% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.2%±24.9Lowest NY: 52.1%	27.4%±29Highest NY: 52.1%
	Bennington and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest NY: 14%	8%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.6%Highest NY: 54.3%	90.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 14 yrs older than NY	1969Highest 10 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 17% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	10.9%±3.6Highest NY: 14.9%	10.5%±4.9Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Seneca and Bennington 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.