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Compare towns

North Elba vs Patchogue

244 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (295.1× in North Elba) and street grid (36.5× in Patchogue).

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North Elba, NYAn outdoors townEssex County · 7,540 people
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Patchogue, NYHomes around $608KNew York · 12,396 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 $1,540 more a month in Patchogue

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.

North Elba$2,710/mo
Typical home $432K (Census) · tax rate 1.23% · or rent about $1,073/mo · Housing →
Patchogue$4,250/mo
Typical home $608K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.09%+ · or rent about $2,263/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,540 a month, about $18,500 a year, between Patchogue and North Elba.

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.

Life in each

North Elba gets 72 more inches of snow a year

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
North ElbaPatchogue
Snow a year104″32″
January low7°F25°F
July high74°F83°F
Growing season (days)118d207d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)28th15th
Outdoors & history
North ElbaPatchogue
Conserved land79.4%3.4%
National Register places19—
Archive photos612
Famous people born here2—
Community
North ElbaPatchogue
Library hours a week49 hrs59 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.

Report cards

North Elba places higher on 9 of 18 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.

Where they are

244 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

North Elba ↔ Patchogue244 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.

North ElbaPatchogue
People
Population 7,540Lowest 12,396Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -16.5%Lowest NY: +4.2% +5.2%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age 42.1±3.6Highest 6% above NY 39.5±1.7Lowest about the NY average
North Elba and Patchogue are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 12.5%±2.6Lowest NY: 20.5% 15.9%±3.5Highest NY: 20.5%
Patchogue and North Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.3%±3Highest NY: 17.9% 14%±2.7Lowest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 38.9%Highest NY: 40.2% 35.1%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.2%±1.4Lowest NY: 7% 4.6%±1.5Highest NY: 7%
Patchogue and North Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $72,843±$10kLowest 15% below NY $107,306±$15kHighest 25% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $431,600±$53kLowest about the NY average $477,600±$24kHighest 13% above NY
Patchogue and North Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,073±$71Lowest 34% below NY $2,263±$344Highest 40% above NY
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,315Lowest 19% below NY $10,000+Highest at least 52% above NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54.2%±15.9Lowest NY: 52.1% 58.1%±13.8Highest NY: 52.1%
Patchogue and North Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.5%Lowest NY: 14% 10.6%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 60.8%Highest NY: 54.3% 55.2%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1976Highest 17 yrs newer than NY 1964Lowest 5 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 15 minLowest 56% below NY 32 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home 16.7%±4.9Highest NY: 14.9% 8.4%±2.8Lowest NY: 14.9%
Work in townworking residents 50.6%Highest 7.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 6.8 miLowest 12.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.62Highest 1.03Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Harrietstown (13%)Brookhaven (30%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PatchogueFew work in North Elba
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 79.4%Highest 3.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 265.6 miHighest 0.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.7 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 9Highest 5Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 3.4Lowest 124Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #310 of 484 in NY—
School district LAKE PLACID CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT—
High school in town Lake Placid Junior-Senior High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 7.1 —
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.

North Elba neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to North Elba’s Town Square.

Patchogue neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Patchogue’s Town Square.

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Bordering North Elba

Towns like North Elba

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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