Middletown vs Newburgh

Which is the better fit for you?

Middletown, NY
56
Area Score
Bottom 41% nationally
Newburgh, NY
54
Area Score
Bottom 33% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Middletown receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Middletown to Newburgh

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 109.7 against 109.7 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
The same
HUD benchmarks it at $1,979 in Newburgh against $1,979 in Middletown.
The median home
20% less
$247,900 in Newburgh against $308,600 in Middletown.
The weather you would swap
Winters 1°F milder
Normal January lows are 18°F in Newburgh against 17°F in Middletown; July highs are 85°F against 84°F (summers 1°F hotter).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Middletown
Newburgh
Opportunity: Middletown is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
48 · Bottom 34%
vs
39 · Bottom 16%
Growth: Newburgh is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
35 · Bottom 22%
vs
37 · Bottom 25%
Climate: Newburgh is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
61 · Bottom 19%
vs
62 · Bottom 20%
Physical resilience: Newburgh is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
74 · Top 31%
vs
75 · Top 31%
Housing affordability: Middletown is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
70 · Top 41%
vs
61 · Bottom 38%
Schools: Newburgh is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
37 · Bottom 33%
vs
46 · Bottom 45%
Access: Newburgh is the more favorable of the two.
Access
94 · Top 42%
vs
100 · Top 4%
Economic stability: Middletown is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
48 · Bottom 32%
vs
28 · Bottom 8%

Measured values

MetricMiddletownNewburghSource period
Population30,28928,5192024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$79,346 — more favorable$56,9602024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$32,965 ±$2,257$31,232 ±$3,6892024 ACS 5-Year
Population density5,708/sq mi7,493/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$308,600$247,9002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,661$1,454 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,979$1,979FY2026
Cost of living index109.7109.72023
Homeownership rate51.7%34.8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.9% — more favorable5.2%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)+0.2%+0.2%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate20.1% ±3%19.8% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate12.9% — more favorable24.0%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)172612 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents0.60.9 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+88.9%+13.0%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high84°F85°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low17°F18°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation41.0"41.9"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport17 mi4 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute36.7 min27.1 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age36.333.62024 ACS 5-Year
Students per teacher11.1 — more favorable11.42024-25 school year
Math proficiency58.4%63.0% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency54.4%58.9% — more favorable2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

2 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

Middletown

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane.

Newburgh

Elevated or high exposure: hurricane.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Middletown
—
Middletown: Your Score
56
Area Score
Newburgh
—
Newburgh: Your Score
54
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Middletown, NY · Newburgh, NY · How this is calculated: methodology