What stands out worked out from the figures below

Summit has the most affordable homes ($150k median).

Benson has the most people working from home (9.6%).

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	Summit	Benson
People
Population	976Highest	271Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.6% NY: +4.2%	—
Median age	55.7±7.3Highest 40% above NY	50.7±7.7Lowest 27% above NY
	Summit and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±4.5Highest NY: 20.5%	14.4%±9.3Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Summit and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.7%±8.7Highest NY: 17.9%	34.3%±2.9Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Summit and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.7%Highest NY: 40.2%	21.1%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±2Lowest NY: 7%	1.1%±5.6Highest NY: 7%
	Benson and Summit are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,375±$26kHighest 13% below NY	$69,375±$13kLowest 19% below NY
	Summit and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$150,000±$29kLowest 65% below NY	$230,100±$15kHighest 46% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,230Lowest 66% below NY	$2,528Highest 62% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 NY: 52.1%	0%±100 NY: 52.1%
Below poverty line	3.9%Lowest NY: 14%	5.2%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.7%Highest NY: 54.3%	86.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 22 yrs newer than NY	1966Lowest 7 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 3% above NY	26 minLowest 20% below NY
Work from home	5.3%±4.2Lowest NY: 14.9%	9.6%±4.2Highest NY: 14.9%
	Benson and Summit 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.