Kingston, NY
Metro Area Profile
182,601 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Kingston, NY metropolitan area.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 12 sourcesKingston 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
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.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income ±$2,8712024 ACS 5-Year | $86,271 | Top 10%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$1,4452024 ACS 5-Year | $47,778 | Top 9%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 14.1% | Bottom 39%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±0.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 28.6 min | Bottom 13%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 38.2% | Top 14%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 68.9% | 9th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 86,355 | Top 29%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | +0.2% | Top 44%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | −0.1% | Top 38%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 89,909 | 71st percentileof 835 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 74.2% | Bottom 34%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wage2025 OEWS | $63,440 | Top 35%of 392 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wage2025 OEWS | $50,020 | Top 27%of 392 | 2025 OEWS |
| Metro employment2025 OEWS | 59,140 | 26th percentileof 392 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.9% | 93rd percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | +0.1% | Bottom 30%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 4.0% | Top 44%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 17.6% | 94th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Largest occupations — Kingston, NY
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 2,110 | $37,750 |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,860 | $36,530 |
| Cashiers | 1,490 | $34,770 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,440 | $35,460 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,320 | $37,910 |
| General and Operations Managers | 1,280 | $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.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston High School | KINGSTON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT | 1,749 | 11.9 | 90% | 90% |
| J Watson Bailey Middle School | KINGSTON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT | 936 | 9.6 | 33% | 34% |
| Wallkill Senior High School | WALLKILL CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT | 930 | 12.2 | 93% | 97% |
| M Clifford Miller Middle School | KINGSTON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT | 826 | 9.2 | 26% | 24% |
| Saugerties Senior High School | SAUGERTIES CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT | 800 | 12.9 | 94% | 95% |
| Marlboro Elementary School | MARLBORO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT | 780 | 10.3 | 45% | 37% |
| Ellenville Elementary School | ELLENVILLE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT | 730 | 15.9 | 31% | 27% |
| Ellenville Junior/senior High School | ELLENVILLE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT | 698 | 10.7 | 87% | 92% |
| Highland Elementary School | HIGHLAND CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT | 665 | 12.5 | 49% | 45% |
| Marlboro Central High School | MARLBORO CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT | 629 | 11.6 | 92% | 98% |
| New Paltz Senior High School | NEW PALTZ CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT | 622 | 11.5 | 98% | 98% |
| Rondout Valley High School | RONDOUT VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT | 547 | 10.9 | 92% | 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.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →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.
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.
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.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living index2023 | 99.6 | Bottom 22%of 386 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)2026 Q2 | +2.6% | 39th percentileof 372 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)2026 Q2 | +46.2% | 59th percentileof 372 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)2026 Q2 | +122.4% | 90th percentileof 372 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year | 3.3 | Bottom 26%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 69.9% | 51st percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±1512024 ACS 5-Year | 86,503 | 75th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,386 | Bottom 11%of 818 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $2,245 | Bottom 10%of 818 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,818 | Bottom 7%of 818 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$482024 ACS 5-Year | $1,425 | Bottom 11%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$6,2612024 ACS 5-Year | $352,500 | 83rd percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1152024 ACS 5-Year | $6,238 | 98th percentileof 933 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$2,6642024 ACS 5-Year | $107,312 | Top 10%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.05%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.77% | 94th percentileof 932 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 34.8% | Bottom 4%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±6472024 ACS 5-Year | 6,233 | 86th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 7.2% | 81st percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.9% | 41st percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±8062024 ACS 5-Year | 12,225 | 78th percentileof 935 | 2024 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.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
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.
Population, annual estimates
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.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 63.1" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 104.7" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 12°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 74°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 4 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 45°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
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.
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.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year | 92.4% | Top 12%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 32 mi | Top 37%of 835 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 7 | Top 6%of 835 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 5.8% | Top 19%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Stewart Intl | SWF | 32 mi | 11,817 ft |
| Albany Intl | ALB | 60 mi | 8,500 ft |
| Westfield-Barnes Rgnl | BAF | 81 mi | 9,000 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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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA 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.