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Compare towns

Ithaca vs Plattsburgh

218 miles apart. The biggest differences: home values (+75% in Ithaca) and work from home (+17.7 pts in Ithaca).

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Ithaca, NYA history townNew York · 32,814 people
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Plattsburgh, NYA colonial town, settled 1785New York · 19,830 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 $620 more a month in Ithaca

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 →
Plattsburgh$1,920/mo
Typical home $255K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.75% · or rent about $1,030/mo · Housing →

The difference: $620 a month, about $7,400 a year, between Ithaca and Plattsburgh.

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

Ithaca places higher on 14 of 23 NY lists

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
IthacaPlattsburgh
Snow a year63″50″
January low15°F11°F
July high80°F82°F
Growing season (days)145d174d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)80th39th
Outdoors & history
IthacaPlattsburgh
Trails10 mi7 mi
Conserved land13.6%5.6%
Settled18881785
National Register places2925
Archive photos175
Famous people born here5955
Community
IthacaPlattsburgh
Library hours a week60 hrs56 hrs
Colleges in town11
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

218 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Ithaca ↔ Plattsburgh218 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.

IthacaPlattsburgh
People
Population 32,814Highest 19,830Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +7%Highest NY: +4.2% -0.7%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age 23.3±0.8Lowest 41% below NY 31.9±2.3Highest 20% below NY
Kids under 18 7.1%±1.1Lowest NY: 20.5% 13.2%±1.8Highest NY: 20.5%
Age 65+ 10.1%±1.3Lowest NY: 17.9% 17.2%±1.7Highest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 67.7%Highest NY: 40.2% 40.4%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 51.7%±3.3Highest NY: 7% 20%±1.9Lowest NY: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $48,784±$4kLowest 43% below NY $57,630±$4kHighest 33% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $342,700±$15kHighest 19% below NY $195,900±$11kLowest 54% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,447±$69Highest 11% below NY $1,030±$61Lowest 36% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly $8,897Highest 35% above NY $5,392Lowest 18% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 65%±7.7Highest NY: 52.1% 48.6%±6.5Lowest NY: 52.1%
Below poverty line 30.4%Highest NY: 14% 22.7%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 29.6%Lowest NY: 54.3% 37.9%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1956Lowest 3 yrs older than NY 1962Highest 3 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minHighest 43% below NY 17 minLowest 49% below NY
Work from home 24.7%±4.2Highest NY: 14.9% 7%±1.7Lowest NY: 14.9%
Work in townworking residents 17.1%Lowest 36.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.8 mi 2.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.32Lowest 1.46Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Ithaca (38%)Plattsburgh (23%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PlattsburghFew work in Ithaca
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 13.6%Highest 5.6%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 10.0 miHighest 7.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.7 miHighest 1.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 24Highest 15Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 96.3Highest 61.2Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #37 of 484 in NY#282 of 484 in NY
School district ITHACA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTPLATTSBURGH CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town Ithaca Senior High SchoolPlattsburgh Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school 13.8Highest 9.9Lowest
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.

Plattsburgh neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plattsburgh’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Ithaca and Plattsburgh

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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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