Moving to
Kingston.

All Kingston data Compare Kingston

23,911people live here $68,186median household income▼ 16% below US $1,469median rent per monthNear US average $315,500median home valueNear US average

What it's like to live in Kingston

Kingston is a small city in New York with county unemployment below the national average and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Kingston deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and cold, harsh winters.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Below-average household incomes
Crime above national average
High rent burden for renters
Cold, harsh winters
Snowy winters — 59" per year
Above-average rainfall

How Kingston compares

Median household income

Kingston$68,186

New York avg$85,974

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Kingston$1,469

New York avg$1,621

US$1,413

Median home value

Kingston$315,500

New York avg$423,800

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Kingston

Based on Kingston's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,938

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $58,760 a year
55% of Kingston renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$63,100

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $31,550
Homes cost 4.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,469/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,469 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $315,500. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.

Median home value $315,500 · 55% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.6% county unemployment

Unemployment in Ulster County is 3.6%, 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.

Ulster County (county-wide)

Safety▲ 26% above US

414 violent crimes per 100k

Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.

Property crime 1676/100k · Kingston Police Department · 2025 data

Getting around▼ 11% below US

23 min average commute

Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.1 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 15% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

67%

Work from home

15%

Carpool

10%

Other

3.5%

Walk

2.4%

Public transit

1.5%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 14°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

1 hospital

There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 1.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforceNear US average

33% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 33% 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

5 public schools inside the boundary

There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 11:1, well below 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 Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site (10 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Kingston's strongest point is county unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,469/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (15% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.

See all the data for Kingston →·All New York cities →