Kingston, NY

Metro Area Profile

182,601 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Kingston, NY metropolitan area.

65out of 100
Area Score
Top 22% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 12 sources
OpportunityTop 18% of 835 metro and micro areas measured69
SchoolsTop 18% of 695 metro and micro areas measured75
GrowthTop 41% of 834 metro and micro areas measured56
Housing affordability700th of 835 metro and micro areas measured60
Climate762nd of 835 metro and micro areas measured54
Physical resilienceTop 26% of 835 metro and micro areas measured71
AccessTop 34% of 835 metro and micro areas measured86
Economic stability498th of 835 metro and micro areas measured43
The quick read

Kingston ranks in the top 18% of metro and micro areas measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 4.0% and median household income of $86,271.

Public schools test above most of the state: 60% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 18% of published profiles for schools.

600 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 4% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
182,601
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$86,271
Top 10% nationally
Density
162/sq mi
1,124.2 sq mi of land
Median age
44.1
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Metropolitan area
New York
Nearest major airport
SWF
32 mi · New York Stewart Intl
Median home value
$352,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.0%, lower than in 56% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment fell 0.1% over the past year, to 86,355 employed residents.

38% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 86% of measured US metro and micro areas.

Median household income of $86,271 is higher than in 90% of measured US metro and micro areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$2,8712024 ACS 5-Year$86,271Top 10%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,4452024 ACS 5-Year$47,778Top 9%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year14.1%Bottom 39%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year28.6 minBottom 13%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year38.2%Top 14%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year68.9%9th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202686,355Top 29%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+0.2%Top 44%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−0.1%Top 38%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202689,90971st percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year74.2%Bottom 34%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage2025 OEWS$63,440Top 35%of 3922025 OEWS
Median annual wage2025 OEWS$50,020Top 27%of 3922025 OEWS
Metro employment2025 OEWS59,14026th percentileof 3922025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year1.9%93rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.1%Bottom 30%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20264.0%Top 44%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year17.6%94th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/075.02.6
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.0% in July 2026. It has been rising for the last 3 months, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Largest occupations — Kingston, NY

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Home Health and Personal Care Aides2,110$37,750
Retail Salespersons1,860$36,530
Cashiers1,490$34,770
Fast Food and Counter Workers1,440$35,460
Stockers and Order Fillers1,320$37,910
General and Operations Managers1,280$99,970

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

60% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 57% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 10.3 students for every full-time teacher across 41 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
42
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
10.3
across 41 of them
Math proficiency
59.9%
Top 35% in New York
Reading proficiency
57.1%
Top 26% in New York
The 12 largest of 42 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Kingston High SchoolKINGSTON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT1,74911.990%90%
J Watson Bailey Middle SchoolKINGSTON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT9369.633%34%
Wallkill Senior High SchoolWALLKILL CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT93012.293%97%
M Clifford Miller Middle SchoolKINGSTON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT8269.226%24%
Saugerties Senior High SchoolSAUGERTIES CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT80012.994%95%
Marlboro Elementary SchoolMARLBORO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT78010.345%37%
Ellenville Elementary SchoolELLENVILLE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT73015.931%27%
Ellenville Junior/senior High SchoolELLENVILLE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT69810.787%92%
Highland Elementary SchoolHIGHLAND CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT66512.549%45%
Marlboro Central High SchoolMARLBORO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT62911.692%98%
New Paltz Senior High SchoolNEW PALTZ CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT62211.598%98%
Rondout Valley High SchoolRONDOUT VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT54710.992%87%

41.1% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against New York’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run at about the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 99.6, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for this area is up 46% over five years, and up 2.6% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $6,238 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.77% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,818, some 28% above the $1,425 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,818 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $72,700 a year, about 84% of the median household income here of $86,271.

The typical renter household here spends 35% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,425 a month.

A median home at $352,500 costs 3.3 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $107,312, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Cost of living
99.6

Prices here run at about the national average. Where places do differ, housing drives most of it — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Price level for all consumption in this metropolitan area against a national average of 100. Housing dominates the spread between places; goods vary far less.

Rent as a share of income
34.8%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.3×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,818
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,425
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$352,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Kingston’s median household income of $86,271, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living index202399.6Bottom 22%of 3862023
Home price change (1 year)2026 Q2+2.6%39th percentileof 3722026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)2026 Q2+46.2%59th percentileof 3722026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)2026 Q2+122.4%90th percentileof 3722026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year3.3Bottom 26%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year69.9%51st percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±1512024 ACS 5-Year86,50375th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,386Bottom 11%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$2,245Bottom 10%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,818Bottom 7%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$482024 ACS 5-Year$1,425Bottom 11%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$6,2612024 ACS 5-Year$352,50083rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1152024 ACS 5-Year$6,23898th percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$2,6642024 ACS 5-Year$107,312Top 10%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.05%2024 ACS 5-Year1.77%94th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year34.8%Bottom 4%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±6472024 ACS 5-Year6,23386th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year7.2%81st percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year6.9%41st percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±8062024 ACS 5-Year12,22578th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

56/ 100
Top 41% of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was upward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 182,977 in 2024.

At 3.3 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
600
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
3.3
Top 39% nationally
Year over year
+4%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
48.7%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

20202021202220232024183k181k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

4 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 74°F and January a low of 12°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 63.1 inches, including 104.7 inches of snow.

0°20°40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station SLIDE MTN, 9.1 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND6.4"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals63.1"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals104.7"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals12°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals74°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals41991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals45°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

71 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and hurricane, with inland flooding alone responsible for 68% of it. Tornado is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 74% of measured US metro and micro areas.

LandslideModerate
Inland floodingModerate
HurricaneElevated
HailModerate
Cold waveElevated
EarthquakeModerate
Heat waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: strong wind, tornado, lightning, ice storm, avalanche, winter weather, coastal flooding, wildfire, drought, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

7 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest New York Stewart Intl at 32 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year92.4%Top 12%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle32 miTop 37%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle7Top 6%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year5.8%Top 19%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
New York Stewart IntlSWF32 mi11,817 ft
Albany IntlALB60 mi8,500 ft
Westfield-Barnes RgnlBAF81 mi9,000 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
65
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

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