What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ira has the most affordable homes ($159k 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	Ira
People
Population	2,622Highest	2,019Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.8%Highest NY: +4.2%	-2.9%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	44.5±6.2Highest 12% above NY	42.8±3.1Lowest 8% above NY
	Seneca and Ira 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%	20.2%±3.2Highest NY: 20.5%
	Ira and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±4.5Highest NY: 17.9%	14.4%±2.9Lowest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.1%Highest NY: 40.2%	19%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.4Lowest NY: 7%	4.8%±2.3Highest NY: 7%
	Ira 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	$97,019±$11kHighest 13% above NY
	Ira 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±$9kHighest 55% below NY	$158,800±$16kLowest 63% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,549±$420 4% below NY	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,810Lowest 57% below NY	$3,594Highest 45% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.2%±24.9Lowest NY: 52.1%	14.3%±35.4Highest NY: 52.1%
	Ira and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Highest NY: 14%	4.6%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.6%Highest NY: 54.3%	88.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 14 yrs older than NY	1976Highest 17 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 17% below NY	30 minHighest 7% below NY
Work from home	10.9%±3.6Highest NY: 14.9%	8.9%±5Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Seneca and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	CATO-MERIDIAN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	CATO-MERIDIAN JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.1
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.