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Compare towns

Troy vs Ithaca

145 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+87% in Ithaca) and home values (+66% in Ithaca).

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Troy, NYA colonial town, settled 1787New York · 51,033 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 · Report cards

Ithaca places higher on 15 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $380 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.

Troy$2,160/mo
Typical home $301K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.30% · or rent about $1,175/mo · Housing →
Ithaca$2,540/mo
Typical home $343K (Census) · tax rate 2.60% · or rent about $1,447/mo · Housing →

The difference: $380 a month, about $4,600 a year, between Ithaca and Troy.

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.

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
TroyIthaca
Snow a year59″63″
January low16°F15°F
July high84°F80°F
Growing season (days)169d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)78th80th
Outdoors & history
TroyIthaca
Conserved land7.2%13.6%
Settled17871888
National Register places6729
Archive photos—17
Famous people born here—59
Community
TroyIthaca
Library hours a week60 hrs60 hrs
Colleges in town41
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

145 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Troy ↔ Ithaca145 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.

TroyIthaca
People
Population 51,033Highest 32,814Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.5%Lowest NY: +4.2% +7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age 32.3±1.1Highest 19% below NY 23.3±0.8Lowest 41% below NY
Kids under 18 17.2%±1.3Highest NY: 20.5% 7.1%±1.1Lowest NY: 20.5%
Age 65+ 13.3%±1.2Highest NY: 17.9% 10.1%±1.3Lowest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 37.3%Lowest NY: 40.2% 67.7%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 16.6%±1Lowest NY: 7% 51.7%±3.3Highest NY: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $58,477±$5kHighest 32% below NY $48,784±$4kLowest 43% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $206,500±$10kLowest 51% below NY $342,700±$15kHighest 19% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,175±$29Lowest 28% below NY $1,447±$69Highest 11% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,749Lowest 28% below NY $8,897Highest 35% above NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 52.7%±5.1Lowest NY: 52.1% 65%±7.7Highest NY: 52.1%
Ithaca and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 23.4%Lowest NY: 14% 30.4%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 37.4%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 21 minHighest 35% below NY 19 minLowest 43% below NY
Work from home 14.5%±2Lowest NY: 14.9% 24.7%±4.2Highest NY: 14.9%
Work in townworking residents 17.2%Highest 17.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.8 miHighest 2.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.87Lowest 1.32Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Albany (19%)Ithaca (38%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in IthacaFew work in Troy
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.2%Lowest 13.6%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 22.9 miHighest 10.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.1 miHighest 1.7 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 25Highest 24Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 95.1Lowest 96.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #284 of 484 in NY#37 of 484 in NY
School district LANSINGBURGH CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · TROY CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTITHACA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town Troy High SchoolIthaca Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school 11.8Lowest 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.

Troy neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Troy’s Town Square.

Ithaca neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ithaca’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Troy and Ithaca

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Bordering Troy

Towns like Troy

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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