Compare towns
Poughkeepsie vs Wallkill vs Wappinger
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New York.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Poughkeepsie has the most people working from home (18.6%).
Wallkill has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.2%).
Wappinger has the most expensive homes ($395k median).
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.
| Measure | Poughkeepsie | Wallkill | Wappinger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 45,636Highest |
31,023 |
28,252Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +4.9% NY: +4.2% |
+11.2%Highest NY: +4.2% |
+4.3%Lowest NY: +4.2% |
| Median age | 37.7±1.6Lowest 5% below NY |
41.2±2.2 4% above NY |
43.9±1.8Highest 10% above NY |
| Wappinger and Wallkill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 15.9%±1.4Lowest NY: 20.5% |
20.7%±2.3Highest NY: 20.5% |
18.3%±1.8 NY: 20.5% |
| Wallkill and Wappinger are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 17.9%±1.4 NY: 17.9% |
15.7%±1.6Lowest NY: 17.9% |
20.2%±2.1Highest NY: 17.9% |
| Wappinger and Poughkeepsie are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 45.2%Highest NY: 40.2% |
28%Lowest NY: 40.2% |
36% NY: 40.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 18.2%±1.3Highest NY: 7% |
7.8%±1.5 NY: 7% |
6.1%±1.1Lowest NY: 7% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $97,724±$6kHighest 14% above NY |
$96,076±$4k 12% above NY |
$95,234±$10kLowest 11% above NY |
| Poughkeepsie and Wallkill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $354,900±$11k 16% below NY |
$353,200±$13kLowest 17% below NY |
$394,800±$11kHighest 7% below NY |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,677±$69Lowest 3% above NY |
$1,790±$80Highest 10% above NY |
$1,708±$94 5% above NY |
| Wallkill and Wappinger are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $8,183Highest 24% above NY |
$6,623 about the NY average |
$6,236Lowest 5% below NY |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51%±8.2 NY: 52.1% |
52.8%±8.1Highest NY: 52.1% |
45.7%±7.7Lowest NY: 52.1% |
| Wallkill and Poughkeepsie are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.2% NY: 14% |
11%Highest NY: 14% |
5.4%Lowest NY: 14% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 65.9%Highest NY: 54.3% |
64.1% NY: 54.3% |
63.3%Lowest NY: 54.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1968Lowest 9 yrs newer than NY |
1978Highest 19 yrs newer than NY |
1971 12 yrs newer than NY |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minLowest 18% below NY |
31 minHighest 5% below NY |
28 min 13% below NY |
| Work from home | 18.6%±2.8Highest NY: 14.9% |
10.5%±2.9Lowest NY: 14.9% |
13.2%±2.5 NY: 14.9% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #157 of 484 in NY | #476 of 484 in NY | #93 of 484 in NY |
| School district | ARLINGTON CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · SPACKENKILL UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT | MIDDLETOWN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT · PINE BUSH CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT | WAPPINGERS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT |
| High school in town | SPACKENKILL HIGH SCHOOL | None in town | ROY C KETCHAM SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.1Lowest |
— | 13.4Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.