Finger Lakes
Benton, New York
Benton is a town in Yates County, in New York's Finger Lakes region, home to about 3,000 people as of the 2020 census.
Like the rest of upstate New York, an assessed value here usually isn't the market value; the state's equalization rate reconciles the two. The local rate is below, and the STAR program can lower the school-tax part of the bill.
- Type
- Town
- County
- Yates
- Region
- Finger Lakes
- Population (2020)
- 2,985
Local Almanac
Notes in and around Benton
Short, sourced notes tied to this place, its county, or nearby communities.
This place · History & Culture
Benton's Crossroads, Lake Edge, and Good Soils Explain the Town
Benton's story comes from Seneca Lake, Benton Center's crossroads, Kashong Creek power, and long-running farm soils.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Milo Keeps County Memory Close at the Oliver House
Milo and Penn Yan keep county memory close through the Oliver House Museum and the long-running Yates County History Center collections.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Penn Yan Turns the Keuka Outlet into a Walkable Story
Penn Yan's story follows the Keuka Outlet, where lake water, canal history, mills, trails, and downtown all meet.
Read this note ->Nearby · Home & Property
Milo Building Projects Run Through Development Services
Milo property owners should start building, zoning, fire-safety, and land-use questions with the Town of Milo Development Services office.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Milo and Penn Yan Share the Keuka Outlet Thread
Milo and Penn Yan are tied together by the Keuka Outlet, a wooded trail corridor between Keuka and Seneca Lakes.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Potter Carries Arnold Potter and Old Yates County Roots
Potter's town page ties the Yates County town to Arnold Potter, early families, milling, distilling, and rural northwest-county landscape.
Read this note ->Nearby · Rules & Licenses
Yates pistol permits changed the reference map for movers
Yates County pistol-permit applicants should check the county page for mover reference rules, fees, photos, fingerprinting, and address-change timing.
Read this note ->Nearby · History & Culture
Dresden Was the Seneca Lake Door for Keuka's Canal
Dresden sits where Keuka Lake's old canal story met Seneca Lake, rail shipping, farms, vineyards, and Yates County's compact shoreline.
Read this note ->Nearby · Cars & Driving
Yates DMV permit tests need the Penn Yan clock checked
Yates County DMV trips should separate permit tests, CDL tests, Enhanced IDs, and ordinary transactions before driving to Penn Yan.
Read this note ->Property tax snapshot
Roughly $17–$25 per $1,000
Combined full-value rate — county + town/city + school district, per $1,000 of market value (FY2025). On a $300,000 home that's about $5,049–$7,393 a year before the STAR break.
A planning estimate, not a bill. Your exact rate depends on your school district and any village. Confirm with the assessor.
Statewide links
Statewide starting points.
Good to know
- • Your assessed value usually isn't your market value — ask for the equalization rate.
- • Register for STAR; new applicants generally receive a credit instead of an automatic exemption on the bill.
- • Outside the cities, check the well, the septic, and the FEMA flood map before you buy.
Nearby
Nearby places
Tax rates: NYS Dept of Taxation & Finance (ORPTS), Real Property Tax Rates and Levy Data by Municipality, data.ny.gov dataset iq85-sdzs. (FY2025). Population: U.S. Census 2020. Reviewed June 2026. Source data ->
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