Kingston, NY

Metro Area Profile

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

67out of 100
Area Score
Top 37% of 379 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
Data updated · 10 sources
OpportunityTop 28% of 379 metros measured67
GrowthTop 45% of 821 metros measured53
Housing affordability623rd of 822 metros measured84
Climate611th of 822 metros measured60
Physical resilienceTop 26% of 822 metros measured71
AccessTop 32% of 822 metros measured86
Economic stability564th of 822 metros measured37
The quick read

Unemployment is 3.7% and median household income $86,271, putting employment conditions in the middle range of published metro profiles.

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

Rent takes 20% of median household income here, below the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 4.1 times that income.

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
County
Metro area
Kingston, NY
Nearest major airport
SWF
32 mi · New York Stewart Intl
Median home value
$352,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.7% is lower than 75% of the 379 measured US metros.

Employment fell 1.1% over the past year, to 86,405 employed residents.

38% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 86% of measured US metros.

Median household income of $86,271 is higher than at least 90% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$2,871$86,271Top 10%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,445$47,778Top 9%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate14.6%Top 42%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute28.6 minTop 13%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher38.2%Top 14%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Employment86,405Bottom 39%of 379June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-0.4%Bottom 41%of 379June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-1.1%Bottom 38%of 379June 2026
Labor force89,713Bottom 38%of 379June 2026
Labor force participation58.1%Bottom 36%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$63,440Top 34%of 3812025 OEWS
Median annual wage$50,020Top 26%of 3812025 OEWS
Metro employment59,140Bottom 25%of 3812025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.3%Top 30%of 379June 2026
Unemployment rate3.7%Bottom 25%of 379June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032025/102026/065.22.9
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.7% in June 2026. 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

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.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

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. Where places do differ, housing drives most of the gap.

A new two-bedroom lease runs about $1,818, some 28% above the $1,425 tenants already here pay — the market has moved faster than sitting tenancies have.

Median rent of $1,425 takes 20% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home at $352,500 costs 4.1 times the median household income of $86,271, above the historic benchmark of about three 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.

Rent as a share of income
19.8%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.1×
median home value ÷ median 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
MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living index99.6Top 21%of 3812023
Home price to income4.09Top 25%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate69.9%Top 49%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±15186,503Top 25%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroom$1,386Top 20%of 351FY2026
Market rent, three bedroom$2,245Top 18%of 351FY2026
Market rent, two bedroom$1,818Top 11%of 351FY2026
Median gross rent ±$48$1,425Top 11%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$6,261$352,500Top 17%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income19.8%Top 31%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate14.1%Top 32%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
53/ 100
Top 45% of 821 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was upward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run, not a comparison of the two endpoints.

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 metros.

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.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 83°F and January a low of 16°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 45.8 inches.

0°20°40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station MILLBROOK 3 W, 29.1 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.6"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation45.8"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low16°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high83°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing46°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

71 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hurricane and cold wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 68% of it.

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.

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

Some things people look for are not on this page, and each is absent for a reason rather than by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them and the weighting is documented 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. Any cities listed on this page 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.
Taxes
Taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Cost of living now is — the index above is the Bureau of Economic Analysis price parity for this area — but it is a price level for all consumption rather than a budget for a household, its spread is driven mostly by housing, and it excludes taxes. Housing affordability is computed separately from rent, price and income, because that answers a narrower and more actionable question. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house. School attendance zones, insurance pricing and the character of a neighborhood all vary within the places measured here.

Access

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

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
67
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023Annually, each December
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026Annually, each October for the coming fiscal year

Profile recalculated August 30, 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 browse every source.

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