Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Middletown is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, ranked 653rd of 745 in New York, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $79K. Expect to pay for it: the typical home is worth about $417K, 4.2 years of the Kiryas Joel metro’s $98K median household income. Middletown’s average trip to work is 36 minutes, above both New York’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Middletown is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. Middletown has 11 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Oliver Avenue Bridge and Webb Horton House.
Where Middletown beats most towns.
Census counts: 6,049 in 1870, 30,345 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1861 and 4 maps from 1906 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Middletown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Middletown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
33 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
7 mi Theme parkLegoland New York
24 mi Stadium & arenaMichie Stadium
15 mi MountainHigh Point
34 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a yearUnited States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Legoland New York: MattCC716, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Michie Stadium: John Pellino, Public domain · High Point: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Middletown, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Middletown.
Middletown has seen reported crime fall by about half and has fewer 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of New York.
7.0 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. Middletown’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Fancher-Davidge Park, 45 acres with 1.2 miles of trail.
| Middletown | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.5% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fancher-Davidge Park | 1.2 mi | 45 |
| 2. Maple Hill Park | 0.7 mi | 19 |
| 3. Watts Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Middletown City School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Middletown High School, with 2,495 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presidential Park Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 1,225 | D |
| Middletown High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,495 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Middletown for work: only 11% work in town. 14% of residents live below the poverty line in Middletown. The top destinations are Wallkill (19%), New York (19%) and Goshen (5%).
| Middletown | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 6% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 63 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Middletown.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 672 to 340 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Middletown is 2.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Middletown | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.4 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Port Jervis weather station, 14 miles away, records that about 14 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 76% of New York places with climate records.
Middletown has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 18° and about 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
52% of Middletown households own their home. The typical Middletown home is worth about $417,000, up 3.9% in a year, 21% below the New York typical home. 55% of Middletown renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
| Middletown | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,661 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 55% | 49% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Middletown beats the New York average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. Only 9 of the 755 New York towns we compare have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Middletown.
| Middletown | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 13% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 21% | 23% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 5.9% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Middletown | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.1% | 7.7% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.7% | 16.3% |
| More uninsured adults | 13.8% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Middletown
About 5 of every 100 Middletown residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
11 places in Middletown on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Middletown.
City in New York, United States
Middletown is the largest city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New York. At the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 30,345, reflecting an increase of 2,259 from the 28,086 counted in the 2010 census. The ZIP Code is 10940. Middletown falls within the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, which belongs to the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY–NJ–CT–PA Combined Statistical Area. Middletown was incorporated as a city in 1888. It grew in the 19th and early 20th centur…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Middletown.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middletown | #653 | C− | D | C | C+ | C+ |
| Wallkill | #412 | B− | D | B+ | C+ | B |
| Washington Heights | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mechanicstown | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wawayanda | #432 | B− | D | — | B | A− |
Wawayanda reports no FBI crime data of its own. Washington Heights and Mechanicstown aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Middletown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Middletown grades C− overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #653 of 745 in New York. It grades C+ for health, C for safety and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
17 notable people were born here, including Spencer Tunick and Aaron Tveit.
