Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Benton is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C overall, 565th of 745 graded towns in New York, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 53% of U.S. towns. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $259K for a typical one and 3.7 times the county’s $70K median household income. 30% of residents are under 18 in Benton, where New York’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 22%. Only 34 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on the outdoors. Its National Register listings include Barden Cobblestone Farmhouse and Angus Cobblestone Farmhouse and Barn Complex.
Where Benton beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Benton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,357 in 1820, a peak of 3,957 in 1830, 2,836 in 2010. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1873 and 2 maps from 1903 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Benton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Benton.
One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Mennonite School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades 1–8 | Grades 1–8 | 23 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Benton has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Benton is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 960 working residents takes 22.9 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Benton for work: only 10% work in town. 19% of residents live below the poverty line in Benton. Since 2013, Benton has lost 85 jobs, to 808 in 2023.
| Benton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Benton beats the New York average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 15% of Benton adults report frequent physical distress.
| Benton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 81% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 21% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Benton | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.2% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.7% | 8.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Benton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Benton. Close and well known come first.
9 mi LakeSeneca Lake
18 mi LakeCayuga Lake
21 mi MountainCumorah
26 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
26 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
40 mi MuseumCorning Museum of Glass400K visitors a yearSeneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Watkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0 · Taughannock Falls State Park: Michael C. Rygel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Corning Museum of Glass: User:Stilfehler, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Benton
About 1 of every 100 Benton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
6 places in Benton on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
Benton is a town in Yates County, New York, United States. The population was 2,836 at the 2010 census. The town is named after an early resident, Levi Benton (1746–1820) The Town of Benton is located in the northeast part of the county. Benton is on the west side of Seneca Lake, north of Penn Yan.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Benton.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C; Jerusalem (C+) is closest.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton | #565 | C | C | — | B− | B− |
| Torrey | — | — | C+ | — | B− | B− |
| Milo | #323 | B | B+ | — | B− | B− |
| Potter | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | B− |
| Seneca | #484 | C+ | C+ | — | C− | B+ |
| Jerusalem | #507 | C+ | C | — | B− | B+ |
| Penn Yan | #291 | B | A− | — | B− | B− |
| Varick | — | — | C− | — | C | C |
Torrey, Potter and Varick have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Benton, Torrey, Milo, Potter, Seneca, Jerusalem, Penn Yan and Varick report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Benton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Benton grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #565 of 745 in New York. It grades B− for health and B− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
2 notable people were born here, including Levi W. Barden and James R. Lyon.
