What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kingston has the most people working from home (15.3%).

Middletown has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Kingston	Middletown
People
Population	23,911Lowest	30,289Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest NY: +4.2%	+8%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	37.2±1.2Highest 7% below NY	36.3±2.4Lowest 9% below NY
	Kingston and Middletown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±2.1Lowest NY: 20.5%	25.9%±3.1Highest NY: 20.5%
	Middletown and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.9%±1.7Highest NY: 17.9%	13.6%±1.8Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Kingston and Middletown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.6%Highest NY: 40.2%	20.1%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.4Lowest NY: 7%	5.2%±1.4Highest NY: 7%
	Middletown and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,186±$5kLowest 21% below NY	$79,346±$8kHighest 8% below NY
	Middletown and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$315,500±$16kHighest 26% below NY	$308,600±$14kLowest 27% below NY
	Kingston and Middletown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$91Lowest 9% below NY	$1,661±$106Highest about the NY average
	Middletown and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,935Lowest 10% below NY	$6,773Highest about the NY average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±6.4Highest NY: 52.1%	55.3%±5.9Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Kingston and Middletown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.6%Highest NY: 14%	13.6%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.4%Lowest NY: 54.3%	51.7%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1960Highest 1 yr newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 29% below NY	36 minHighest 10% above NY
Work from home	15.3%±2.4Highest NY: 14.9%	6%±1.9Lowest NY: 14.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#200 of 484 in NY	#150 of 484 in NY
School district	KINGSTON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	MIDDLETOWN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	KINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL	MIDDLETOWN HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Lowest	12.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.