What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

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

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