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Compare towns

Oneonta vs Ithaca

73 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (2.5× in Ithaca) and home values (+86% in Ithaca).

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Oneonta, NYAn outdoors townNew York · 15,045 people
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Ithaca, NYA history townNew York · 32,814 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 $1,270 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.

Oneonta$1,270/mo
Typical home $184K (Census) · tax rate 1.96% · or rent about $1,021/mo · Housing →
Ithaca$2,540/mo
Typical home $343K (Census) · tax rate 2.60% · or rent about $1,447/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,270 a month, about $15,300 a year, between Ithaca and Oneonta.

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 12 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
OneontaIthaca
Snow a year83″63″
January low11°F15°F
July high78°F80°F
Growing season (days)141d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)61st80th
Outdoors & history
OneontaIthaca
Conserved land5.7%13.6%
Settled18421888
National Register places1229
Archive photos—17
Famous people born here—59
Community
OneontaIthaca
Library hours a week54 hrs60 hrs
Colleges in town21
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

73 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Oneonta ↔ Ithaca73 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.

OneontaIthaca
People
Population 15,045Lowest 32,814Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -5.9%Lowest NY: +4.2% +7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age 23.1±1Lowest 42% below NY 23.3±0.8Highest 41% below NY
Ithaca and Oneonta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 9.3%±1.7Highest NY: 20.5% 7.1%±1.1Lowest NY: 20.5%
Oneonta and Ithaca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.1%±2.1Highest NY: 17.9% 10.1%±1.3Lowest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 47.4%Lowest NY: 40.2% 67.7%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 37.8%±2.9Lowest NY: 7% 51.7%±3.3Highest NY: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $61,111±$4kHighest 29% below NY $48,784±$4kLowest 43% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $184,100±$12kLowest 57% below NY $342,700±$15kHighest 19% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,021±$66Lowest 37% below NY $1,447±$69Highest 11% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,600Lowest 45% below NY $8,897Highest 35% above NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 46.9%±10.6Lowest NY: 52.1% 65%±7.7Highest NY: 52.1%
Ithaca and Oneonta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 16.6%Lowest NY: 14% 30.4%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 46%Highest NY: 54.3% 29.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY 1956Highest 3 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 15 minLowest 53% below NY 19 minHighest 43% below NY
Work from home 10.2%±4.1Lowest NY: 14.9% 24.7%±4.2Highest NY: 14.9%
Work in townworking residents 21.8%Highest 17.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.3 miHighest 2.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.33Highest 1.32Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Oneonta (10%)Ithaca (38%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in IthacaFew work in Oneonta
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.7%Lowest 13.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 16.0 miHighest 10.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 3.7 miHighest 1.7 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Lowest 24Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 68.0Lowest 96.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #178 of 484 in NY#37 of 484 in NY
School district ONEONTA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTITHACA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town Oneonta Senior High SchoolIthaca Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school 9.4Lowest 13.8Highest
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.

Oneonta neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oneonta’s Town Square.

Ithaca neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ithaca’s Town Square.

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Bordering Oneonta

Towns like Oneonta

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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