Metro area · New York
Kingston, NY metro area
Kingston, NY is a metropolitan area of 1 county in New York, home to 183,330 residents. Kingston, NY metro area has a quality-of-life score of 90 out of 100 (very high), ranking #93 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in New York it ranks #3 of 27. It ranks best on public EV charging ports (high), job growth (high) and firearm deaths (low). It ranks worst on rent as share of income (high), effective property tax rate (high) and rent-burdened households (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #93 of 925 metro and micro areas
- New York
- #3 of 27 in NY
- Population
- 183,330 (2025)
- Land area
- 1,124 mi²
- Density
- 163.1 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 28740
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 67 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety98#24/924
- Economy77#216/925
- Housing3#899/925
- Health96#39/925
- Healthcare69#289/923
- Environment87#121/917
- Education77#214/925
- Infrastructure81#177/925
- Community83#160/925
- Leisure & amenities95#45/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Kingston, NY metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Public EV charging ports · high26.5 /10k98/100New York 10.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
- Job growth · high3.5%
- Firearm deaths · low5.5 /100k97/100New York 4.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
- Arts, entertainment and recreation · high10.3 /10k95/100New York 7.5 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
- Violent crime rate · low85 /100k94/100New York 368 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
- Public transit commuters · high1.9%
Weaknesses
- Rent as share of income · high34.8%
- Effective property tax rate · high1.62%
- Rent-burdened households · high57.2%
- Average commute time · high27.5 min
- Severe housing problems · high18.1%12/100New York 22.5%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.480
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
27.4% (Dec 2021) → 39.8% (Aug 2026)
+12 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
- Drug overdose deathsImproving
37.1 /100k (2021) → 14.3 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−61%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
- New homes permittedImproving
1.9 /1k (2021) → 2.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+55%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
- Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
71.1% (2010 & 2021) → 81.0% (2022 & 2024)
+9.8 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
- Property crime rateImproving
976 /100k (2020) → 574 /100k (2025)
−41%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
- Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 8% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+7.5 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
What changed in five years
How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.
Metro and micro areas like Kingston, NY metro area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Kingston, NY metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.
Who lives here
Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
Local businesses
Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Counties in Kingston, NY
Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
- Kingston23,911
- New Paltz8,314
- Highland6,367
- Ellenville4,211
- Watchtower3,974
- Saugerties3,884
- Marlboro3,679
- Port Ewen3,426
- Hurley3,346
- Lincoln Park2,431
- Saugerties South2,251
- Woodstock2,239
- Glasco2,210
- Lake Katrine2,176
- Stone Ridge1,884
- Clintondale1,784
- Milton1,679
- Kerhonkson1,677
- West Hurley1,673
- Tillson1,530
- Wallkill1,355
- Walker Valley1,301
- Gardiner1,210
- Shokan1,196
Other metro and micro areas in New York
Areas based in New York, best score first.
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ69
- Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY81
- Rochester, NY83
- Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY92
- Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY81
- Syracuse, NY85
- Utica-Rome, NY82
- Binghamton, NY77
- Glens Falls, NY88
- Jamestown-Dunkirk, NY65
- Watertown-Fort Drum, NY79
- Massena-Ogdensburg, NY48
- Ithaca, NY92
- Corning, NY73
- Monticello, NY64
- Elmira, NY66
- Plattsburgh, NY76
- Olean, NY43
- Auburn, NY62
- Oneonta, NY83
- Hudson, NY86
- Batavia, NY78
- Gloversville, NY62
- Amsterdam, NY43
Neighboring metro and micro areas
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar metro and micro areas
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY81Alike on Firearm deaths, Obesity, Smoking
- Hudson, NY86Alike on Rent burden, Work from home, EV chargers
- Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT90Alike on Firearm deaths, Poor health, Premature death
- Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT89Alike on Price level, Household income, Property tax
- Torrington, CT95Alike on Firearm deaths, Arts & recreation, July high
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
- Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
- Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08