Housing data for the Town of Caroline, NY
The Town of Caroline, NY has an estimated 3,280 residents and 1,590 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a town in Tompkins County.
34.4% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,398 a month.
Its population shrank measurably since 2015–2019 (−2.4%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 3,280 (±19)
- Housing units
- 1,590 (±111)
- Households that rent
- 34.4%
- Median gross rent
- $1,398
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −2.4%
What stands out in the Town of Caroline
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 2.0% (±3.4 points) in the Town of Caroline, lower than in Tompkins County (23.5%).
Commuting by public transportation: 1.0% (±1.5 points) in the Town of Caroline, lower than in Tompkins County (4.6%).
Households that rent: 34.4% (±8.6 points) in the Town of Caroline, lower than in Tompkins County (45.9%).
Median home value: $234,200 (±$40,258) in the Town of Caroline, lower than in Tompkins County ($290,900).
- Types of homes in the Town of Caroline
- Commute and cars in the Town of Caroline
- Renters and owners in the Town of Caroline
- Home values in the Town of Caroline
Housing in the Town of Caroline at a glance
- Median rent: $1,398 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,215 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 43.2% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 34.4% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $80,855 median household income
- Home values: $234,200 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,686 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $5,703 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 2.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 47.9% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 63.2% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 30.0% heat with propane
- Commute and cars: 21.3 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −2.4% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 24.7% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.3% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
The Town of Caroline against Tompkins County, its state and the nation
| Town of Caroline | Tompkins County | New York | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 3,280 (±19) | 104,537 (exact) | 19,852,366 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 1,590 (±111) | 47,804 (±131) | 8,585,241 (±652) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 34.4% (±8.6 points) | 45.9% (±1.5 points) | 45.7% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,398 (±$416) | $1,411 (±$42) | $1,621 (±$7) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $80,855 (±$21,047) | $74,024 (±$4,332) | $85,974 (±$402) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $234,200 (±$40,258) | $290,900 (±$12,898) | $423,800 (±$1,627) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $5,703 (±$564) | $6,515 (±$264) | $6,582 (±$21) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 63.2% (±12.0 points) | 57.4% (±2.6 points) | 73.9% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 21.3 minutes (±2.5) | 20.1 minutes (±1.0) | 32.6 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 97.3% (±1.9 points) | 90.6% (±1.2 points) | 90.8% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 40.5 years (±3.5) | 32.3 years (±0.3) | 39.8 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
The Town of Caroline covers 54.8 square miles of land, about 60 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How the Town of Caroline has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 3,362 (±19) | 3,280 (±19) | −2.4% | Measurable decrease |
| Housing units | 1,411 (±139) | 1,590 (±111) | +12.7% | Measurable increase |
| Median gross rent | $992 (±$161) | $1,398 (±$416) | +40.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $174,400 (±$19,141) | $234,200 (±$40,258) | +34.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $64,872 (±$11,717) | $80,855 (±$21,047) | +24.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,381 (±$108) | $1,686 (±$173) | +22.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $3,996 (±$694) | $5,703 (±$564) | +42.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 42.3% (±8.5 points) | 34.4% (±8.6 points) | −7.9 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±5.7 points) | 0.0% (±7.1 points) | 0.0 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
The Town of Caroline 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.
ZIP codes in the Town of Caroline
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14881 | 100% | 117 | — | — | $89,063 |
| 14817 | 91% | 2,479 | $1,482 | $213,000 | $77,228 |
| 13736 | 13% | 1,936 | $1,183 | $140,700 | $65,880 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near the Town of Caroline
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Danby | 7.2 mi | $1,200 | $291,800 | 12.8% |
| Town of Richford | 7.3 mi | $604 | $110,500 | 6.9% |
| East Ithaca | 7.8 mi | $1,234 | $332,700 | 40.1% |
| Town of Dryden | 8.5 mi | $1,074 | $242,600 | 36.8% |
| Town of Harford | 8.8 mi | $1,019 | $109,800 | 24.4% |
| South Hill | 8.8 mi | $1,991 | $353,800 | 33.7% |
| Village of Candor | 8.9 mi | $871 | $119,400 | 53.3% |
| Town of Candor | 9.4 mi | $837 | $135,100 | 25.1% |
Places in New York most like the Town of Caroline
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Benton | $1,541 | $258,600 | $74,767 | 24.1% |
| Town of Venice | $1,253 | $167,200 | $92,000 | 27.4% |
| Town of Ledyard | $1,276 | $249,200 | $86,731 | 23.3% |
| Town of Ulysses | $1,274 | $274,500 | $71,400 | 32.5% |
| Town of Wheatland | $1,153 | $183,100 | $82,538 | 32.3% |
| Town of Hamilton | $1,265 | $240,800 | $75,398 | 32.7% |
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 the Town of Caroline, 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 the Town of Caroline, 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.
A New York town includes the villages and hamlets inside it, so the figures for the Town of Caroline include them.
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 Town of Caroline
What is the average rent in the Town of Caroline, NY?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in the Town of Caroline is $1,398 (±$416) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in the Town of Caroline?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in the Town of Caroline, NY is $2,129 (±$432) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in the Town of Caroline rent-burdened?
43.2% of renting households in the Town of Caroline pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in the Town of Caroline?
The Town of Caroline has an estimated 517 (±148) renting households, 34.4% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in the Town of Caroline?
The median household income in the Town of Caroline is $80,855 (±$21,047) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in the Town of Caroline, NY?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $234,200 (±$40,258) for owner-occupied homes in the Town of Caroline (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is the Town of Caroline growing?
In the Town of Caroline, the number of residents went from 3,362 in 2015–2019 to 3,280 in 2020–2024 (−2.4%), a measurable decrease.
What ZIP codes are in the Town of Caroline?
The ZIP codes that cover the Town of Caroline are 14881, 14817, 13736.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Caroline town, Tompkins County, New York
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Caroline town, Tompkins County, New York
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Caroline town, Tompkins County, New York
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Caroline town, Tompkins County, New York
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Caroline town, Tompkins County, New York
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Caroline town, Tompkins County, New York
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Caroline town, Tompkins County, New York
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Ithaca, NY MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Ithaca, NY MSA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- 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 Caroline town, Tompkins County, New York (county subdivision:12606, in state:36 county:109).
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 .