What it's like to live in Chestnut Ridge
Chestnut Ridge is a small city in New York with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Chestnut Ridge deals with home prices well above the national average, cold winters, and above-average rainfall.
The good
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Clean air
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- High home prices
- Cold winters
- Above-average rainfall
How Chestnut Ridge compares
Median household income
Median home value
What it takes to move to Chestnut Ridge
Based on Chestnut Ridge's median rent, home value and household income
To buy
$144,020
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $72,010
- Homes cost 6.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Job market
3.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Rockland County is 3.2%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Rockland County (county-wide)
Safety
72 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Chestnut Ridge doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Ramapo Town Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 478/100k · Policed by Ramapo Town Police Department (township-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 5% take public transit; 18% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 25°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
35% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 35% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (13 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Chestnut Ridge's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and cold winters. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low) and remote workers (18% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Chestnut Ridge
All New York guides →Moving to Monsey →
2 mi away · pop. 28,160
Rent $1,892/mo · Income $47,629
Compare with Chestnut Ridge →Moving to Nanuet →
2 mi away · pop. 19,799
Rent $2,308/mo · Income $117,167
Compare with Chestnut Ridge →Moving to Spring Valley →
2 mi away · pop. 33,192
Rent $1,695/mo · Income $57,196
Compare with Chestnut Ridge →Not sure Chestnut Ridge is the one?
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