What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Colden has the most expensive homes ($303k 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	Colden
People
Population	2,622Lowest	3,145Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.8%Highest NY: +4.2%	-4.4%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	44.5±6.2Lowest 12% above NY	49.3±10.4Highest 24% above NY
	Colden and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±3.9Highest NY: 20.5%	19.1%±5.2Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Seneca and Colden 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%	23.3%±4.6Highest NY: 17.9%
	Colden 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%	41%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.4Lowest NY: 7%	4.2%±3.3Highest NY: 7%
	Colden 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±$21kLowest 5% above NY	$97,935±$15kHighest 14% above NY
	Colden and Seneca 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	$302,600±$42kHighest 29% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,549±$420Highest 4% below NY	$943±$142Lowest 42% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,810Lowest 57% below NY	$4,752Highest 28% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.2%±24.9Lowest NY: 52.1%	61.5%±28Highest NY: 52.1%
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest NY: 14%	10%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.6%Highest NY: 54.3%	88.8%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 minHighest 17% below NY	26 minLowest 19% below NY
Work from home	10.9%±3.6Lowest NY: 14.9%	15%±7.4Highest NY: 14.9%
	Colden and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#346 of 484 in NY
School district	—	SPRINGVILLE-GRIFFITH INSTITUTE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	None in town
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.