New York, New York
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching New York.
Key figures
Each metric shows how New York compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 8,516,202City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $79,713Incorporated place (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($78,538)U.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 190ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)90% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $751,700City limits (ACS)148% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,779City limits (ACS)32% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.3%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 41 min64% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 8896% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 570.7annualized per 100k · citywide5% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 1459.6annualized per 100k · citywide53% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 83°F4.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 30°F4.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 49.5 in50% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 24010% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare New York with another city
About 8,516,202 people live in New York, NY. Households here report a median income near $79,713; our housing-derived cost index is about 190 (well above the national housing-cost baseline). Entry home prices around $751,700 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Snow-belt Upstate and transit-heavy downstate markets feel like different worlds. Pack for 83°F summer peaks; winter mornings often settle near 30°F. Commutes average near 41 minutes one-way, with walkability near 88/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 4.3% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates near 570.7 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
If you only tour one corridor, make it Manhattan; if you have a weekend, contrast it with Brooklyn and the quieter edges near Queens. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare New York with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Neighborhoods often researched
- Manhattan
- Brooklyn
- Queens
- Bronx
- Staten Island
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (New York city, 1600000US3651000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN360610000000003 (New York County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00094728 NEW YORK CNTRL PK TWR)
Last updated 2026-07-28