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Kingston, RI vs Rutgers University-Busch Campus, NJ

Kingston

Rhode Island

vs

Rutgers University-Busch Campus

New Jersey

Across 37 directional measures we can compare, Kingston leads on 25 and Rutgers University-Busch Campus on 12. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 40% higher in Rutgers University-Busch Campus, and so is median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,568$2,197
Kingston is 29% lower
Median household income
$107,404$111,549
Kingston is 4% lower
Median home value
$553,400$462,900
Kingston is 20% higher

The Citytistics read

  • Between the 2019 and 2021 surveys, rent outran pay by 13.2 points a year in Kingston, and rent outran pay by 3.5 points a year in Rutgers University-Busch Campus.

How these are calculated

New JerseyRhode IslandRutgers University-Busch Campus, NJKingston, RIKingstonKingston

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 1 of 1 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Kingston, RIComposite 61.2 / 100
79
484298n/a8862n/a

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureKingstonRutgers University-Busch CampusAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,568$2,197
Rent to income117.5%23.6%
Property tax rate10.9%2.1%
Home price to income15.2x4.2x
Prices vs US average2101.8112.6
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$1,879$2,623
HUD area median income4n/a$154,800
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$4,763$9,712
Median home value1$553,400$462,900
Home prices, 1-year change56.3%6.1%
Home prices, 5-year change565.6%62.2%
Homeownership181.9%0.0%
Renters paying 30%+151.3%48.1%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,490$2,877
Vacant homes120.8%3.2%
Median year built119771968
Jobs and income
Median household income1$107,404$111,549
Income per person1$16,640$10,189
Unemployment18.4%10.2%
Average annual pay6$65,480$85,564
Pay growth, 1 year64.4%3.8%
Jobs659,618431,665
Poverty rate18.2%0.0%
Mean commute118 min16 min
Works from home111.6%19.5%
Commutes by transit10.8%5.8%
People
Population17,3325,920
Median age119.520.0
Bachelor's or higher177.0%87.7%
High school or higher198.7%97.6%
Household size12.72.4
Born abroad15.7%17.3%
No health insurance12.0%3.0%
Homes with broadband1100.0%46.9%
Moving
Moved here in the past year117.2%22.3%
Moved from another state111.7%20.1%
Net movers per 1,000 people7-0.4-7.7
Income of households moving in7$107,343$87,059
Income of households moving out7$87,986$95,604
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k830.320.5
Shops per 10k838.627.6
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k89.42.9
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k818.022.6
Child care centers per 10k81.82.3
Parks per 10k96.80.0
Playgrounds per 10k98.26.8
Grocery stores per 10k91.40.0
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k919.15.1
Libraries per 10k95.51.7
Named paths and bike trails90.70.0
Transit stops per sq mi910.913.1
Nearest National Park Service site1025.417.9
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10424
National Register listings11176
Founded or incorporated12n/a1930
Schools
Public schools131213
Public school students13217129,255
Students per teacher1311.411.9
Climate
July average high1482°F87°F
January average low1422°F24°F
Average temperature1451°F54°F
Annual precipitation1447.4 in47.7 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1564.097.8
Hurricane risk1582.292.6
Tornado risk1529.494.5
Wildfire risk1523.179.7
Heat wave risk1546.496.5
Median air quality index163736
Good air days1682.7%81.5%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Kingston $62,720, Rutgers University-Busch Campus $87,880 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. 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. Wikidata · Wikimedia Foundation (CC0) · Retrieved 2026-11
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 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
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. 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).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

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