Compare towns
Poughkeepsie vs Kingston
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 renters (61.2% rent).
Kingston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.7%).
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 | Kingston |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 31,958Highest |
23,911Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.5%Lowest NY: +4.2% |
+0.7%Highest NY: +4.2% |
| Median age | 38.1±2.4Highest 4% below NY |
37.2±1.2Lowest 7% below NY |
| Poughkeepsie and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 18.5%±2.3Lowest NY: 20.5% |
21%±2.1Highest NY: 20.5% |
| Kingston and Poughkeepsie are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Age 65+ | 16.4%±1.5Lowest NY: 17.9% |
16.9%±1.7Highest NY: 17.9% |
| Kingston and Poughkeepsie are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 31.9%Lowest NY: 40.2% |
32.6%Highest NY: 40.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.6%±1.5Highest NY: 7% |
4.1%±1.4Lowest NY: 7% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $60,741±$6kLowest 29% below NY |
$68,186±$5kHighest 21% below NY |
| Kingston and Poughkeepsie are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $283,700±$15kLowest 33% below NY |
$315,500±$16kHighest 26% below NY |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,400±$100Lowest 14% below NY |
$1,469±$91Highest 9% below NY |
| Kingston and Poughkeepsie are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,718Lowest 13% below NY |
$5,935Highest 10% below NY |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 60%±5.8Highest NY: 52.1% |
59.4%±6.4Lowest NY: 52.1% |
| Poughkeepsie and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 17.6% NY: 14% |
17.6% NY: 14% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 38.8%Lowest NY: 54.3% |
48.4%Highest NY: 54.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1952Highest 7 yrs older than NY |
1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minHighest 27% below NY |
23 minLowest 29% below NY |
| Work from home | 9%±2.2Lowest NY: 14.9% |
15.3%±2.4Highest NY: 14.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #460 of 484 in NY | #200 of 484 in NY |
| School district | POUGHKEEPSIE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT | KINGSTON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT |
| High school in town | POUGHKEEPSIE HIGH SCHOOL | KINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.6Lowest |
11.9Highest |
| 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.