Cost of Living in West Point, New York

West Point is a Census-designated place in Orange County, New York, with a population of 6,670. The total cost of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes, and other necessities for a single adult in West Point is $45,039 a year — less than the annual cost of living for New York of $46,110 and greater than the national figure of $38,433.

Using cost of living data from the nonprofift think tank Economic Policy Institute, 24/7 Wall St. estimated the cost of living in West Point and over 29,000 other cities and towns in the US.

Transportation Costs in West Point, New York

Transportation can also be a significant component of cost of living. In West Point, 35.40% of commuters drive to work, compared to 85.5% of commuters nationwide. An estimated 13.90% of workers commute to jobs outside of West Point, a smaller share than the 43.7% share of commuters nationwide who live and work in different cities. The average commute in West Point is 9.4 minutes long, compared to the 26.6-minute average commute nationwide. Taking into account the cost of gas, as well as public transit and car maintenance, the EPI estimates that a single person in West Point spends $10,816 a year on transportation, more than the national average of $9,760.

Health Care Costs in West Point, New York

Out-of-pocket health care costs and insurance premiums — assuming at least a basic level of health insurance coverage — are far higher than they are on average nationwide in West Point and also above what they are across New York as a whole.

For a single adult living in the area, average health care costs come out to $5,485 per year, compared to an average of $5,018 across New York and $4,266 nationwide.

Child care Costs in West Point, New York

For families with children, child care adds thousands of dollars to overall annual spending. In West Point, the average annual cost of child care for two children — one 4 year old and one 8 year old — is $29,168, about $700 less than the comparable average of $29,889 across all of New York. Meanwhile, across the U.S. as a whole, childcare expenses for two children averages $15,853 per year.

Food Costs in West Point, New York

Food is another every day expense that has a significant impact on overall cost of living. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the cost of food varies from city to city and town to town.

In West Point, a single adult spends an average of $3,395 on food annually, and a family of four spends $9,805 on average. For context, average annual food expenditure across New York and the U.S., respectively, are $3,539 and $3,240 for a single adult, and $10,220 and $9,354 for a family of four. These estimates are calculated for a nutritionally adequate diet of food purchased at a grocery store for at-home preparation.

Taxes in West Point, New York

Few expenses vary as much from city to city and town to town as taxes. Accounting for state and federal income taxes, as well as Social Security contributions and Medicare payroll taxes, the average adult working in West Point, New York pays $8,405 annually — closely in line with the statewide average of $8,876.

It is important to note that these calculations do not include other common taxes such as property, sales, and excise taxes. Accounting for these taxes, while excluding taxes levied at the federal level, West Point residents live in a state with a high average tax burden. Per capita state tax collections in New York total $4,531 per year, compared to the $3,151 average across all states.

Methodology

To estimate the cost of housing, food, transportation, health care, child care, taxes, and other necessities, 24/7 Wall St. assigned county-level Economic Policy Institute data to cities, towns, villages and Census-designated places based on boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. For places that span multiple counties, data was aggregated based on the percentage of boundary overlap.

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