Housing data for Forest Home, NY
Forest Home, NY has an estimated 1,303 residents and 514 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Tompkins County.
64.8% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,379 a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+116.8%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,303 (±354)
- Housing units
- 514 (±169)
- Households that rent
- 64.8%
- Median gross rent
- $1,379
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +116.8%
What stands out in Forest Home
Commuting by public transportation: 19.6% (±11.1 points) in Forest Home, higher than in Tompkins County (4.6%).
Median home value: $499,300 (±$162,743) in Forest Home, higher than in Tompkins County ($290,900).
Households that rent: 64.8% (±13.5 points) in Forest Home, higher than in Tompkins County (45.9%).
Housing in Forest Home at a glance
- Median rent: $1,379 median gross rent a month
- Rent burden: 50.4% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 64.8% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $59,018 median household income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Home values: $499,300 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $4,000 or more median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $10,000 or more median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 37.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 33.3% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 54.5% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 7.9% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 64.1% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 19.5 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +116.8% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 30.0% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 15.1% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Forest Home against Tompkins County, its state and the nation
| Forest Home | Tompkins County | New York | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,303 (±354) | 104,537 (exact) | 19,852,366 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 514 (±169) | 47,804 (±131) | 8,585,241 (±652) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 64.8% (±13.5 points) | 45.9% (±1.5 points) | 45.7% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,379 (±$21) | $1,411 (±$42) | $1,621 (±$7) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $59,018 (±$30,155) | $74,024 (±$4,332) | $85,974 (±$402) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $499,300 (±$162,743) | $290,900 (±$12,898) | $423,800 (±$1,627) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $10,000 or more | $6,515 (±$264) | $6,582 (±$21) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 54.5% (±18.4 points) | 57.4% (±2.6 points) | 73.9% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 19.5 minutes (±5.9) | 20.1 minutes (±1.0) | 32.6 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 74.4% (±13.0 points) | 90.6% (±1.2 points) | 90.8% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 29.5 years (±1.7) | 32.3 years (±0.3) | 39.8 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Forest Home covers 0.2 square miles of land, about 5,791 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Forest Home has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 601 (±101) | 1,303 (±354) | +116.8% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 315 (±58) | 514 (±169) | +63.2% | Measurable increase |
| Median gross rent | $1,172 (±$45) | $1,379 (±$21) | +17.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $334,400 (±$81,874) | $499,300 (±$162,743) | +49.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $57,750 (±$11,626) | $59,018 (±$30,155) | +2.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 74.0% (±8.2 points) | 64.8% (±13.5 points) | −9.2 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 5.4% (±8.5 points) | 7.9% (±11.7 points) | +2.5 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Tompkins County
Forest Home has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Tompkins County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Tompkins County recorded 88 violent and 1,177 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Forest Home
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast Ithaca | 1.2 mi | $1,738 | $402,000 | 43.5% |
| Village of Cayuga Heights | 1.5 mi | $1,700 | $433,000 | 38.9% |
| Ithaca | 1.8 mi | $1,447 | $342,700 | 70.4% |
| East Ithaca | 2.0 mi | $1,234 | $332,700 | 40.1% |
| Village of Lansing | 2.8 mi | $1,726 | $516,900 | 76.6% |
| South Hill | 3.1 mi | $1,991 | $353,800 | 33.7% |
| Northwest Ithaca | 3.4 mi | $1,185 | $312,900 | 49.8% |
| Town of Dryden | 5.7 mi | $1,074 | $242,600 | 36.8% |
Places in New York most like Forest Home
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ithaca | $1,447 | $342,700 | $48,784 | 70.4% |
| Village of Tivoli | $1,665 | $354,300 | $53,177 | 49.7% |
| Village of New Paltz | $1,672 | $414,500 | $52,774 | 79.7% |
| Village of Webster | $1,239 | $218,400 | $70,495 | 64.0% |
| Northwest Ithaca | $1,185 | $312,900 | $56,753 | 49.8% |
| Village of Wappingers Falls | $1,538 | $337,200 | $65,040 | 68.8% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across New York.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Forest Home, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,198 | $1,427 | $1,709 | $2,040 | $2,631 |
HUD income limits for Forest Home, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $24,800 | $41,300 | $66,100 |
| 2 people | $28,350 | $47,200 | $75,550 |
| 3 people | $31,900 | $53,100 | $85,000 |
| 4 people | $35,400 | $59,000 | $94,400 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $63,750 | $102,000 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $68,450 | $109,550 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $73,200 | $117,100 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $77,900 | $124,650 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Ithaca, NY MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $118,000.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Forest Home is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
It lies inside the Town of Ithaca, whose figures include it.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Forest Home
What is the average rent in Forest Home, NY?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Forest Home is $1,379 (±$21) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How many renters are there in Forest Home?
Forest Home has an estimated 296 (±149) renting households, 64.8% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Forest Home, NY?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $499,300 (±$162,743) for owner-occupied homes in Forest Home (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Forest Home?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Forest Home, NY is $4,000 or more a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Forest Home?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Forest Home, NY is $10,000 or more a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Forest Home?
Forest Home, NY has an estimated 514 (±169) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Forest Home growing?
In Forest Home, the number of residents went from 601 in 2015–2019 to 1,303 in 2020–2024 (+116.8%), a measurable increase.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest Home CDP, New York
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest Home CDP, New York
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest Home CDP, New York
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest Home CDP, New York
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest Home CDP, New York
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest Home CDP, New York
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Forest Home CDP, New York
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Ithaca, NY MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Ithaca, NY MSA
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Forest Home CDP, New York (place:26561, in state:36).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .