CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

41.45° N · 74.39° W · GEOID 3646349

Mechanicstown

Orange County, New York · part of the Kiryas Joel, NY metro

New YorkMechanicstown, NYMechanicstownMechanicstown

The short answer

Mechanicstown is home to 8,808 people. Median household income is $81,250 a year and median rent is $1,687 a month, 24.9% 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 $344,200, about 4.2x annual median household income.

Mechanicstown stands out on how people work. Unemployment is 9.2%, against 5.4% in its closest peers. Also notable: OpenStreetMap shows 10.2 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, more than in 97% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 340 New York places we track.

9OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

Mechanicstown scores better than 9% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 329th of 340 in New York.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%29
Economy 20%29
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%53
Education 10%30
Commute 10%8
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
$1,687
24% above the median place
Median household income
$81,250
1% above the median place
Median home value
$344,200
8% above the median place
Unemployment
9.2%
87% above 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 Mechanicstown

  • GrowthCompared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as South Lockport, NY, Scotchtown, NY and McKee City, NJ), household income growth here is higher: 8.6% a year against a typical 6.2% a year.
01

Moving to Mechanicstown

Orange County loses about 3.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in15,933
Moved out17,123
Net−1,190

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Ulster County, NY9091,154−245
Kings County, NY1,493522+971
Bronx County, NY1,559416+1,143
Queens County, NY996

Within New York, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New YorkOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$73K
Leavers$76K

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

Who moves here
4.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.4% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Orange County report $73,100 a year in income on average; those leaving, $76,200.
Income you would need
$67,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,687 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,182 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $344,200.
Getting to work
34 minutes each way on average; 9.1% work from home; 3.6% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Withamsville, OH matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
1.4%
30% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
4.8%
17% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-3.5
below the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureMechanicstownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.8%17% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.4%30% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-3.5below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$73,1114% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$76,2448% above
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 61.4%, 21% above the median place.

Mechanicstown24.9%
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
$67,480
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
24.9%
22% above the median place
Home price to income
4.2x
12% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
25%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$56,200
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Mechanicstown, $1,687 a month, and local prices for everything else (108.1 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Mechanicstown, but easier on the budget

Places that match Mechanicstown 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
Withamsville, OH9519.2% vs 24.9%$3,800Compare
Farmington, MO9419.1% vs 24.9%n/aCompare
Union Grove, WI9412.8% vs 24.9%$40,500Compare
Polson, MT9320.5% vs 24.9%n/aCompare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Mechanicstown? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
61.4%
21% above the median place
Homeownership1
51.7%
22% below the median place
Property tax rate1
1.7%
84% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureMechanicstownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,68724% above
Rent to income124.9%22% above
Property tax rate11.7%84% above
Home price to income14.2x12% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure109.48% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,13132% above
HUD area median income4County figure$125,90017% above
Property tax paid (median)1$5,75676% above
Median home value1$344,2008% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure6.2%94% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure62.0%20% above
Homeownership151.7%22% below
Renters paying 30%+161.4%21% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,18217% above
Vacant homes1County figure7.4%5% above
Median year built119881% above
03

Work and pay

Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 240 hours a year commuting, more than in 94% of the 2,101 places under 10,000 people we track.

Unemployment1
9.2%
87% above the median place
Mean commute1
34 min
38% above the median place
Commutes by transit1
3.6%
325% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Poverty rate18.1% +68%
Works from home9.1% −27%
Income per person$37,167 −7%
Median household income$81,250 +1%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureMechanicstownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$81,2501% above
Income per person1$37,1677% below
Unemployment19.2%87% above
Average annual pay6County figure$63,8673% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.0%46% below
Jobs6County figure154,9053% above
Poverty rate118.1%68% above
Mean commute134 min38% above
Works from home19.1%27% below
Commutes by transit13.6%325% above
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 84.6%, 8% below the median place.

Homes with broadband1
84.6%
8% below the median place
No health insurance1
3.4%
47% below the median place
Born abroad1
16.8%
90% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher23.3% −27%
Median age40.4 +4%
Household size2.4 −4%
High school or higher91.1% −1%
All 8 people measures
MeasureMechanicstownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population18,8084581st largest
Median age140.44% above
Bachelor's or higher123.3%27% below
High school or higher191.1%1% below
Household size12.44% below
Born abroad116.8%90% above
No health insurance13.4%47% below
Homes with broadband184.6%8% below
05

Life in Mechanicstown

20 National Park Service sites lie within 60 miles, more than in 92% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.

190 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 8 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents13.6 +34%
Playgrounds per 10k31.8 3.4×
Grocery stores per 10k10.2 4.8×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k52.2 4.7×
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails1 km −35%
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

  • Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site 32 miles
  • Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site 34 miles
  • Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site 34 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars24.4 +17%
Shops39.7 +31%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.3 +5%
Doctors' offices and clinics16.4 −19%
Child care centers2.8 +22%

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

Nearest National Park Service site10
32.3
5% above the median place
Students per teacher12
11.4
26% below the median place
Shops per 10k8
39.7
31% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureMechanicstownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure82above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure57,122above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure11.426% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure24.417% above
Shops per 10k8County figure39.731% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.35% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure16.419% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.822% above
Parks per 10k913.634% above
Playgrounds per 10k931.8238% above
Grocery stores per 10k910.2382% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k952.2368% above
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails91.335% below
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1032.35% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1020above (median 2)
National Register listings11County figure190above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Median air quality index is 27, 37% below 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 Mechanicstown. Larger places are fetched first.

Median air quality index15
27
37% below the median place
Good air days15
86.9%
27% above the median place
January average low13
18°F
29% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureMechanicstownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure83°F4% below
January average low13County figure18°F29% below
Average temperature13County figure50°F9% below
Annual precipitation13County figure46.6 in6% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure90.62% below
Hurricane risk14County figure90.829% above
Tornado risk14County figure81.91% above
Wildfire risk14County figure51.216% below
Heat wave risk14County figure87.33% below
Median air quality index15County figure2737% below
Good air days15County figure86.9%27% above
08

Mechanicstown in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 25% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 25% 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, Mechanicstown does better than 31% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 81%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,687/mo (2024)$2,160/mo$1,770 to $2,630/mo+4.2%
Median household income$81,250 (2024)$105,500$89,000 to $124,500+4.4%
Median home value$344,200 (2024)$506,000$367,000 to $697,000+6.6%

The median home would be worth 4.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.2 now.

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

09

Places like Mechanicstown

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

PlaceRentIncome
Keansburg, NJ$1,679$81,428Compare
Orchard Mesa, CO$1,535$80,359Compare
Suitland, MD$1,707$71,585Compare
Kodiak, AK$1,571$90,292Compare
Kodiak, AKSuitland, MDOrchard Mesa, COKeansburg, NJMechanicstown, NYMechanicstownOrchard MesaSuitlandKodiakMechanicstownOrchard MesaSuitlandKodiak

Places built like Mechanicstown

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 Mechanicstown performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Mechanicstown, NY24.9%8.6%/yrn/a
South Lockport, NY15.2%3.3%/yrn/aCompare
Scotchtown, NY22.5%5.8%/yrn/aCompare
McKee City, NJ31.7%3.0%/yrn/aCompare
Oxford, PA23.2%4.1%/yr2.7%Compare
North Gates, NY17.9%9.1%/yrn/aCompare
Milford, DE25.4%4.5%/yr31.9%Compare

Common questions

Is Mechanicstown a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 9 out of 100, better than 9% of the places we rate and 329th of 340 in New York. Compared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as South Lockport, NY, Scotchtown, NY and McKee City, NJ), household income growth here is higher: 8.6% a year against a typical 6.2% a year. On cost, space and class size it scores 8 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Mechanicstown expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 24.9% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $344,200.

What salary do you need to live in Mechanicstown?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $67,480 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Mechanicstown?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Keansburg, NJ, Orchard Mesa, CO, Suitland, MD and Kodiak, AK.

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 Mechanicstown with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Mechanicstown itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/mechanicstown-new-york

Citytistics. “Mechanicstown, New York.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/mechanicstown-new-york/

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