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Compare towns

Plattsburgh vs Ithaca

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

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Plattsburgh, NYA colonial town, settled 1785New York · 19,830 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 $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.

Plattsburgh$1,920/mo
Typical home $255K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.75% · or rent about $1,030/mo · Housing →
Ithaca$2,540/mo
Typical home $343K (Census) · tax rate 2.60% · or rent about $1,447/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
PlattsburghIthaca
Snow a year50″63″
January low11°F15°F
July high82°F80°F
Growing season (days)174d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)39th80th
Outdoors & history
PlattsburghIthaca
Trails7 mi10 mi
Conserved land5.6%13.6%
Settled17851888
National Register places2529
Archive photos517
Famous people born here5559
Community
PlattsburghIthaca
Library hours a week56 hrs60 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.

Plattsburgh ↔ Ithaca218 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.

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

Plattsburgh neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plattsburgh’s Town Square.

Ithaca neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ithaca’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Plattsburgh and Ithaca

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Bordering Plattsburgh

Towns like Plattsburgh

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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