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Compare towns

East Ithaca vs Cold Spring

146 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (9.1× in East Ithaca) and growth since 2010 (+43.6 pts in East Ithaca).

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East Ithaca, NYA regional job hubNew York · 1,918 people
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Cold Spring, NYOne of the healthiest townsNew York · 1,863 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $2,460 more a month in Cold Spring

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

East Ithaca$2,450/mo
Typical home $333K (Census) · tax rate 2.56% · or rent about $1,234/mo · Housing →
Cold Spring$4,910/mo
Typical home $740K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.67%+ · or rent about $1,777/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,460 a month, about $29,500 a year, between Cold Spring and East Ithaca.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every New York ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
East IthacaCold Spring
Snow a year63″36″
January low15°F21°F
July high80°F85°F
Growing season (days)145d204d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)55th37th
Outdoors & history
East IthacaCold Spring
Trails4 mi2 mi
Conserved land22.6%21.4%
Settled—1846
Archive photos—12
Community
East IthacaCold Spring
Library hours a week—51 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

146 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

East Ithaca ↔ Cold Spring146 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

East IthacaCold Spring
People
Population 1,918Highest 1,863Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +42.3%Highest NY: +4.2% -1.3%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age 43.6±15.2Highest 10% above NY 43±7.4Lowest 8% above NY
East Ithaca and Cold Spring are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 11.1%±6.2Lowest NY: 20.5% 16%±4.2Highest NY: 20.5%
Cold Spring and East Ithaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 29.5%±6.4Highest NY: 17.9% 22.9%±3.7Lowest NY: 17.9%
East Ithaca and Cold Spring are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 74.3%Highest NY: 40.2% 69.3%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.5%±5.9Highest NY: 7% 1.9%±1.5Lowest NY: 7%
East Ithaca and Cold Spring are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $116,410±$31kLowest 35% above NY $117,292±$23kHighest 36% above NY
Cold Spring and East Ithaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $332,700±$59kLowest 21% below NY $600,100±$42kHighest 42% above NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,234±$447Lowest 24% below NY $1,777±$168Highest 10% above NY
Cold Spring and East Ithaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $8,505Lowest 29% above NY $10,000+Highest at least 52% above NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 45.1%±15Lowest NY: 52.1% 55.7%±10.9Highest NY: 52.1%
Cold Spring and East Ithaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.4%Highest NY: 14% 4.5%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 59.9%Lowest NY: 54.3% 64.9%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1978Highest 19 yrs newer than NY 1958Lowest 1 yr older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minLowest 37% below NY 51 minHighest 56% above NY
Work from home 26.1%±10.2Highest NY: 14.9% 20.3%±9.3Lowest NY: 14.9%
East Ithaca and Cold Spring are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 40.2%Highest 12.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.3 miLowest 31.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 9.97Highest 1.09Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Ithaca (47%)New York (26%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Cold SpringFew work in East Ithaca
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 22.6%Highest 21.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 4.2 miHighest 2.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.9 miLowest 4.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Highest 5Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 29.8Lowest 118Highest
New York average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

East Ithaca neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to East Ithaca’s Town Square.

Cold Spring neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cold Spring’s Town Square.

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Bordering East Ithaca

Towns like East Ithaca

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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