Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Root costs less to live in than 66% of U.S. towns
No new homes were permitted in 2025.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Amsterdam, NY micro area ($65K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 1 sale in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Amsterdam-area micro earn ($65K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.2 years of area income, and 15% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,280a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$65K, Amsterdam-area income
- 14%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 13%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Root
What’s behind Root’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Root is more affordable than 66% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
A year’s rent takes 14% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Root’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Root home, with $15K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,280 a month here, $130 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Root’s typical property tax (1.82% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,280
Renters already here pay a median of $742, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
No new homes permitted in 2025
No permits for new homes were issued in Root in 2025. The last year with any was 2012 (7 new homes).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Root gained 298 residents while 14 new homes were permitted: about 21 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across New York: 2.2 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2011 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $260,000 |
| 2008 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $260,000 |
| 2007 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $390,000 |
| 2006 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $520,000 |
| 2005 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $585,000 |
| 2004 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $650,000 |
| 2003 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $650,000 |
| 2002 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $700,000 |
| 2001 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $140,000 |
| 2000 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $120,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $3,795, under the New York median of $6,582, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.82% a year, against 1.55% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Root
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: New York, or New York. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity cents per kWh, homes | 29.9¢ | U.S. 18.3¢ | state | EIA, July 2026 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Root vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Root. Carlisle and Glen and Charleston and Mohawk and Sharon and Palatine and Canajoharie have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root | B+ | — | $209K | 1.82% | $1,280 |
| Mohawk | C+ | — | $175K | 2.22% | $1,020 |
| Canajoharie | C+ | — | $138K | 2.94% | $1,100 |
| Palatine | B+ | — | $143K | 2.27% | $1,030 |
| Charleston | C | — | $184K | 2.40% | $1,290 |
| Glen | B | — | $199K | 1.90% | $1,200 |
| Carlisle | A− | — | $200K | 1.86% | $1,390 |
| Sharon | B | — | $175K | 1.86% | $1,440 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Root
Is Root expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Root costs less than 66% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.2 years of the median household income of the Amsterdam, NY micro area ($65K).
How much is rent in Root?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,280 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $742 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Root?
The median bill is $3,795 a year, 1.82% of the median home value (New York: $6,582, 1.55%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Root buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.