Compare towns
Beacon vs Cornwall vs Halfmoon
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New York.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Beacon has the most people working from home (21.2%).
Cornwall has the most homeowners (73.2%).
Halfmoon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.2%).
What matters to you?
Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.
| Measure | Beacon | Cornwall | Halfmoon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 14,834 |
12,755Lowest |
26,245Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -11.4%Lowest NY: +4.2% |
+1.9% NY: +4.2% |
+19.2%Highest NY: +4.2% |
| Median age | 42±2.2Lowest 6% above NY |
42.3±2.7Highest 6% above NY |
42.1±2 6% above NY |
| Cornwall and Halfmoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20%±3.1 NY: 20.5% |
21.5%±3Highest NY: 20.5% |
19.8%±2.2Lowest NY: 20.5% |
| Cornwall and Beacon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 14.4%±2.2Lowest NY: 17.9% |
19%±2.6Highest NY: 17.9% |
18.8%±1.7 NY: 17.9% |
| Cornwall and Halfmoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 48.9% NY: 40.2% |
49.4%Highest NY: 40.2% |
46.6%Lowest NY: 40.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.4%±1Lowest NY: 7% |
4.9%±1.9Highest NY: 7% |
4%±1 NY: 7% |
| Cornwall and Halfmoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $107,859±$21k 25% above NY |
$114,635±$11kHighest 33% above NY |
$100,712±$7kLowest 17% above NY |
| Cornwall and Beacon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $471,600±$27kHighest 11% above NY |
$444,800±$27k 5% above NY |
$387,700±$21kLowest 9% below NY |
| Beacon and Cornwall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,658±$145 about the NY average |
$1,803±$124Highest 11% above NY |
$1,559±$66Lowest 4% below NY |
| Cornwall and Beacon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $7,958 21% above NY |
$10,000+Highest at least 52% above NY |
$5,810Lowest 12% below NY |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 46.4%±9.3Highest NY: 52.1% |
45.6%±11.6 NY: 52.1% |
38.3%±8.3Lowest NY: 52.1% |
| Beacon and Cornwall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9%Highest NY: 14% |
5.2% NY: 14% |
4.3%Lowest NY: 14% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 61.1%Lowest NY: 54.3% |
73.2%Highest NY: 54.3% |
67.2% NY: 54.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1957Lowest 2 yrs older than NY |
1960 1 yr newer than NY |
1996Highest 37 yrs newer than NY |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 41 minHighest 27% above NY |
31 min 5% below NY |
24 minLowest 27% below NY |
| Work from home | 21.2%±4.2Highest NY: 14.9% |
16.1%±3.1Lowest NY: 14.9% |
16.3%±2.6 NY: 14.9% |
| Beacon and Halfmoon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #423 of 484 in NY | #29 of 484 in NY | #206 of 484 in NY |
| School district | BEACON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT | CORNWALL CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT | MECHANICVILLE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT |
| High school in town | BEACON HIGH SCHOOL | CORNWALL CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL | MECHANICVILLE JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.6Lowest |
13.3Highest |
12.4 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
NY average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.