What stands out worked out from the figures below

Seneca has the most affordable homes ($193k median).

Benton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.3%).

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	Benton
People
Population	2,622Lowest	2,948Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.8%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+5.3%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	44.5±6.2Highest 12% above NY	40.6±8.4Lowest about the NY average
	Seneca and Benton 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%	30.1%±5.2Highest NY: 20.5%
Age 65+	22.3%±4.5Lowest NY: 17.9%	24.8%±4.9Highest NY: 17.9%
	Benton 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%	27.9%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.4Highest NY: 7%	1.1%±1Lowest NY: 7%
	Seneca and Benton 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	$74,767±$13kLowest 13% below NY
	Seneca and Benton 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	$258,600±$51kHighest 39% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,549±$420Highest 4% below NY	$1,541±$628Lowest 5% below NY
	Seneca and Benton 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	$3,391Highest 48% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.2%±24.9Lowest NY: 52.1%	14.5%±10.3Highest NY: 52.1%
	Benton 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%	19.4%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.6%Highest NY: 54.3%	75.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 14 yrs older than NY	1964Highest 5 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 17% below NY	23 minLowest 30% below NY
Work from home	10.9%±3.6Lowest NY: 14.9%	11.8%±5.4Highest NY: 14.9%
	Benton and Seneca 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.