West Haverstraw vs Baldwin

Which is the better fit for you?

West Haverstraw, NY
69
Area Score
Top 18% nationally
Baldwin, PA
71
Area Score
Top 12% nationally

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

Baldwin 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 West Haverstraw to Baldwin

It stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere.

Everyday prices
16% lower
Regional price level 94.7 against 112.6 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$1,709 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,201 in Baldwin against $2,910 in West Haverstraw.
The median home
45% less
$208,400 in Baldwin against $377,200 in West Haverstraw.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 22°F in Baldwin against 22°F in West Haverstraw; July highs are 83°F against 83°F (summers the same).

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.

31 occupations have a published median wage in both places. Start typing, or choose from the list.

Median wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ metro figures for that occupation, not a job offer, and the price level is the regional index; neither includes taxes, benefits or how senior you are.

Signals

West Haverstraw
Baldwin
Opportunity: Baldwin is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
75 · Top 16%
vs
77 · Top 13%
Growth: West Haverstraw is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
48 · Bottom 46%
vs
45 · Bottom 38%
Climate
65 · Bottom 34%
vs
65 · Bottom 34%
Physical resilience: West Haverstraw is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
84 · Top 18%
vs
81 · Top 21%
Housing affordability: Baldwin is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
73 · Top 30%
vs
80 · Top 12%
Schools: Baldwin is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
54 · Top 45%
vs
66 · Top 29%
Access: Baldwin is the more favorable of the two.
Access
92 · Bottom 47%
vs
94 · Top 45%
Economic stability: Baldwin is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
56 · Bottom 46%
vs
59 · Top 48%

Measured values

MetricWest HaverstrawBaldwinSource period
Population10,71121,0572024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$86,301 ±$10,828$80,983 ±$7,0792024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$33,987$41,565 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density7,056/sq mi3,649/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$377,200$208,4002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,803$1,066 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$2,910$1,201 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index112.694.7 — more favorable2023
Homeownership rate58.4%77.8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.7%3.6% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)+1.7%+2.1% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate30.7% ±5%33.3% ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate15.6% ±6%9.2% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)0912 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents0.00.4 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+81.0%+125.0%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high83°F83°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low22°F22°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation47.8"41.3"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport21 mi17 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate31.3 min ±3.2 min28.6 min ±1.4 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age38.441.82024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools1102024-25 school year
Students per teacher11.8 — more favorable14.52024-25 school year
Math proficiency63.6%56.5%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency62.4%74.2%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility54.0%59.4%2024-25 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.

4 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.

New York and Pennsylvania do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

West Haverstraw

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake.

Baldwin

No hazard reaches elevated exposure.

Your best match

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

West Haverstraw
—
West Haverstraw: Your Score
69
Area Score
Baldwin
—
Baldwin: Your Score
71
Area Score

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

Full profiles: West Haverstraw, NY · Baldwin, PA · How this is calculated: methodology