CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

41.45° N · 73.67° W · GEOID 3640398

Lake Carmel

Putnam County, New York · part of the New York, NY metro

New YorkLake Carmel, NYLake CarmelLake Carmel

The short answer

Lake Carmel is home to 7,854 people. Median household income is $109,243 a year and median rent is $1,565 a month, 17.2% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $363,700, about 3.3x annual median household income.

The story in Lake Carmel is how fast things are changing. Rent took 24.3% of the median income in the 2019 survey and 17.2% in 2024. In the 25 places most like it the share rose 1.1 points on average, so affordability held up better here. Also notable: Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 245 hours a year commuting, more than in 95% of places its size.

44OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Below average

Lake Carmel scores better than 44% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 205th of 340 in New York.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%70
Economy 20%74
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%6
Education 10%55
Commute 10%6
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,565
15% above the median place
Median household income
$109,243
36% above the median place
Median home value
$363,700
14% above the median place
Unemployment
3.9%
20% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Lake Carmel

  • HousingHomeowners pay a median of about 2.5% of home value a year in property tax, more than in 96% of the 2,266 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • GrowthCompared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Milltown, NJ, White Horse, NJ and North Patchogue, NY), home value growth here is lower: 5.6% a year against a typical 7.4% a year.
01

Moving to Lake Carmel

Putnam County loses about 3.0 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in4,640
Moved out4,903
Net−263

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

New York County, NY221163+58
Queens County, NY21684+132
Kings County, NY15071+79

Within New York, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New YorkOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$97K
Leavers$107K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Putnam County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
11.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.5% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Putnam County report $96,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $106,900, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$62,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,565 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,634 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $363,700.
Getting to work
36 minutes each way on average; 10.6% work from home; 2.4% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Holbrook, MA matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
11.0%
92% above the median place
Income of households moving out7
$106,860
52% above the median place
Income of households moving in7
$96,775
37% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLake CarmelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year111.0%92% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.5%25% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-3.0400% below
Income of households moving in7County figure$96,77537% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$106,86052% above
02

What it costs to live here

91% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 99% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track.

Lake Carmel17.2%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$62,600
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.2%
16% below the median place
Home price to income
3.3x
12% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$85,800
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lake Carmel, $1,565 a month, and local prices for everything else (105.2 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Lake Carmel, but easier on the budget

Places that match Lake Carmel on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Holbrook, MA9711.4% vs 17.2%$16,000Compare
Milltown, NJ9610.2% vs 17.2%$34,300Compare
DeWitt, IA8612.4% vs 17.2%n/aCompare
Mount Zion, IL858.6% vs 17.2%$13,400Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Lake Carmel.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lake Carmel? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
91.0%
80% above the median place
Property tax rate1
2.5%
170% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$8,957
174% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureLake CarmelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,56515% above
Rent to income117.2%16% below
Property tax rate12.5%170% above
Home price to income13.3x12% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure112.612% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,97184% above
HUD area median income4County figure$104,3003% below
Property tax paid (median)1$8,957174% above
Median home value1$363,70014% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.7%16% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure48.5%6% below
Homeownership185.9%29% above
Renters paying 30%+191.0%80% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,63441% above
Vacant homes1County figure7.6%7% above
Median year built119571% below
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 36 min, 44% above the median place.

Mean commute1
36 min
44% above the median place
Median household income1
$109,243
36% above the median place
Commutes by transit1
2.4%
182% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Unemployment3.9% −20%
Income per person$48,424 +21%
Poverty rate8.3% −23%
Works from home10.6% −15%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLake CarmelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$109,24336% above
Income per person1$48,42421% above
Unemployment13.9%20% below
Average annual pay6County figure$69,3725% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.7%27% below
Jobs6County figure26,87982% below
Poverty rate18.3%23% below
Mean commute136 min44% above
Works from home110.6%15% below
Commutes by transit12.4%182% above
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 3.0%, 53% below the median place.

No health insurance1
3.0%
53% below the median place
Household size1
2.8
12% above the median place
Born abroad1
17.3%
96% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age40.3 +3%
Homes with broadband91.6% −1%
Bachelor's or higher34.6% +8%
High school or higher92.2% −0%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLake CarmelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population17,8545001st largest
Median age140.33% above
Bachelor's or higher134.6%8% above
High school or higher192.2%0% below
Household size12.812% above
Born abroad117.3%96% above
No health insurance13.0%53% below
Homes with broadband191.6%1% below
05

Life in Lake Carmel

The nearest National Park Service site is Weir Farm National Historical Park, about 18 miles away.

50 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents5.1 −50%
Playgrounds per 10k3.8 −59%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1.3 −89%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Weir Farm National Historical Park 18 miles
  • Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site 24 miles
  • Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site 25 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars21.6 +4%
Shops28.7 −5%
Arts, recreation and fitness9.6 2.3×
Doctors' offices and clinics17.4 −14%
Child care centers3.3 +43%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site10
17.9
42% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
9.6
134% above the median place
Students per teacher12
11.0
29% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureLake CarmelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure21133% above
Public school students12County figure12,955165% above
Students per teacher12County figure11.029% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure21.64% above
Shops per 10k8County figure28.75% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure9.6134% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure17.414% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure3.343% above
Parks per 10k95.150% below
Playgrounds per 10k93.859% below
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k91.389% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1017.942% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1018above (median 2)
National Register listings11County figure50285% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Good air days is 94.2%, 38% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Lake Carmel. Larger places are fetched first.

Good air days15
94.2%
38% above the median place
Natural hazard risk14
39.8
57% below the median place
Median air quality index15
33
23% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureLake CarmelAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure83°F4% below
January average low13County figure18°F28% below
Average temperature13County figure50°F9% below
Annual precipitation13County figure48.3 in10% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure39.857% below
Hurricane risk14County figure73.24% above
Tornado risk14County figure29.863% below
Wildfire risk14County figure19.768% below
Heat wave risk14County figure47.647% below
Median air quality index15County figure3323% below
Good air days15County figure94.2%38% above
08

Lake Carmel in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 17% of the median income in 2030, down from 17% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Lake Carmel does better than 74% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 22%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,565/mo (2024)$1,920/mo$1,570 to $2,340/mo+3.5%
Median household income$109,243 (2024)$139,000$117,500 to $164,500+4.1%
Median home value$363,700 (2024)$511,000$371,000 to $705,000+5.8%

The median home would be worth 3.7 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.3 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Lake Carmel

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Glenarden, MD$1,620$106,414Compare
Hightstown, NJ$1,606$108,987Compare
Bartlett, TN$1,638$102,070Compare
Crown Point, IN$1,485$101,686Compare
Crown Point, INBartlett, TNHightstown, NJGlenarden, MDLake Carmel, NYLake CarmelGlenardenBartlettCrown PointLake CarmelGlenardenBartlettCrown Point

Places built like Lake Carmel

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Lake Carmel performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Lake Carmel, NY17.2%4.1%/yrn/a
Milltown, NJ10.2%6.8%/yr0.8%Compare
White Horse, NJ23.2%3.2%/yrn/aCompare
North Patchogue, NY25.3%0.7%/yrn/aCompare
Plainedge, NY25.6%5.1%/yrn/aCompare
Union Beach, NJ25.8%6.4%/yr-0.1%Compare
Pompton Lakes, NJ17.8%4.0%/yr1.0%Compare

Common questions

Is Lake Carmel a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 44 out of 100, better than 44% of the places we rate and 205th of 340 in New York. Homeowners pay a median of about 2.5% of home value a year in property tax, more than in 96% of the 2,266 places under 10,000 people we track. Compared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Milltown, NJ, White Horse, NJ and North Patchogue, NY), home value growth here is lower: 5.6% a year against a typical 7.4% a year. On cost, space and class size it scores 92 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lake Carmel expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.2% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $363,700.

What salary do you need to live in Lake Carmel?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $62,600 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lake Carmel?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Glenarden, MD, Hightstown, NJ, Bartlett, TN and Crown Point, IN.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Lake Carmel with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lake Carmel itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lake-carmel-new-york

Citytistics. “Lake Carmel, New York.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/lake-carmel-new-york/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.