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Ithaca vs East Ithaca

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (17.1× in Ithaca) and jobs per worker (7.6× in East Ithaca).

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Ithaca, NYA history townNew York · 32,814 people
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East Ithaca, NYA regional job hubNew York · 1,918 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 · Where they are

Ithaca and East Ithaca share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

IthacaEast IthacaIthacaEast Ithaca
Ithaca ↔ East Ithaca2.6 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
151 East Ithaca residents work in Ithaca (13.9% of its workers)
Work & commute in East Ithaca →
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Ithaca$2,540/mo
Typical home $343K (Census) · tax rate 2.60% · or rent about $1,447/mo · Housing →
East Ithaca$2,450/mo
Typical home $333K (Census) · tax rate 2.56% · or rent about $1,234/mo · Housing →

The difference: $90 a month, about $1,000 a year, between Ithaca 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.

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
IthacaEast Ithaca
Snow a year63″63″
January low15°F15°F
July high80°F80°F
Growing season (days)145d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)80th55th
Outdoors & history
IthacaEast Ithaca
Trails10 mi4 mi
Conserved land13.6%22.6%
Settled1888—
National Register places29—
Archive photos17—
Famous people born here59—
Community
IthacaEast Ithaca
Library hours a week60 hrs—
Colleges in town1—
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.

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.

IthacaEast Ithaca
People
Population 32,814Highest 1,918Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +7%Lowest NY: +4.2% +42.3%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age 23.3±0.8Lowest 41% below NY 43.6±15.2Highest 10% above NY
Kids under 18 7.1%±1.1Lowest NY: 20.5% 11.1%±6.2Highest NY: 20.5%
East Ithaca and Ithaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 10.1%±1.3Lowest NY: 17.9% 29.5%±6.4Highest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 67.7%Lowest NY: 40.2% 74.3%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 51.7%±3.3Highest NY: 7% 7.5%±5.9Lowest NY: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $48,784±$4kLowest 43% below NY $116,410±$31kHighest 35% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $342,700±$15kHighest 19% below NY $332,700±$59kLowest 21% below NY
Ithaca and East Ithaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,447±$69Highest 11% below NY $1,234±$447Lowest 24% below NY
Ithaca and East Ithaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $8,897Highest 35% above NY $8,505Lowest 29% above NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 65%±7.7Highest NY: 52.1% 45.1%±15Lowest NY: 52.1%
Ithaca and East Ithaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 30.4%Highest NY: 14% 7.4%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 29.6%Lowest NY: 54.3% 59.9%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1956Lowest 3 yrs older than NY 1978Highest 19 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 43% below NY 21 minHighest 37% below NY
Work from home 24.7%±4.2Lowest NY: 14.9% 26.1%±10.2Highest NY: 14.9%
East Ithaca and Ithaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 17.1%Lowest 40.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.8 miHighest 2.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.32Lowest 9.97Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Ithaca (38%)Ithaca (47%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in East Ithaca14% work in Ithaca
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 13.6%Lowest 22.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 10.0 miHighest 4.2 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.7 miLowest 1.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 24Highest 6Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 96.3Highest 29.8Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #37 of 484 in NY—
School district ITHACA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT—
High school in town Ithaca Senior High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 13.8 —
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.

Ithaca neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ithaca’s Town Square.

East Ithaca neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to East Ithaca’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Ithaca

Towns like 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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