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Moving to
Scotchtown.
Scotchtown is an unincorporated community in Orange County, NY. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Scotchtown
Scotchtown is an unincorporated community in New York with household incomes running above the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Scotchtown deals with rent well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, cold winters, and snowy winters.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Clean air
- Growing population
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Above-average commute times
- Cold winters
- Snowy winters — 44" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Scotchtown compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Scotchtown
Based on Scotchtown's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,626
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $72,520 a year
- 45% of Scotchtown renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$68,860
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $34,430
- Homes cost 3.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 28% above US
$1,813/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,813 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $344,300. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $344,300 · 45% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.9% county unemployment
Unemployment in Orange County is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Orange County (county-wide)
Safety
51 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Scotchtown doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Wallkill 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 1117/100k · Policed by Wallkill Town Police Department (township-wide rate) · 2024 data
Getting around▲ 10% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 28.7 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 8% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 20°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 13% below US
32% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 32% 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
0 public schools inside the boundary
No public school is located inside the boundary; students attend schools in the surrounding district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site (30 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Scotchtown's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,813/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
Other places near Scotchtown
All New York guides →Moving to Middletown →
4 mi away · pop. 30,289
Rent $1,661/mo · Income $79,346
Compare with Scotchtown →Moving to Kiryas Joel →
14 mi away · pop. 38,916
Rent $1,604/mo · Income $50,032
Compare with Scotchtown →Not sure Scotchtown is the one?
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