Living in Colonie, NY
College town in New York
Colonie is a college town in New York, home to about 85,000 people, with 534,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, there is some transit, though many people drive. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Colonie a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Safe: violent crime is 0.2× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Low natural disaster risk: 7 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Mild summers: highs around 82°F
- Strong public schools: test results well above the US average
👎 Cons
- Cloudier than most places
- Higher taxes: about $3,080 state income tax per resident, 1.53% property tax
- Smaller job market: about 534,000 people live within 31 mi
- Few top-rated hospitals: no 4–5★ hospital within 31 mi
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Colonie ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Colonie: common questions
What is the cost of living in Colonie?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $348k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,040 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are close to the US average (index 100, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Colonie?
New York collects about $3,080 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.53% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Colonie safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.2× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Colonie?
Public schools in Colonie test well above the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 14 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Colonie?
Colonie has long, snowy winters: winter days average around 36°F and summer days around 82°F, with roughly 59″ of snow a year.
Does Colonie get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding and tornadoes: 7 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.28 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Colonie?
The nearest major airport is ALB, about 1 mi away.
How Colonie scores
Each bar compares Colonie with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Colonie
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in New York.
Is Colonie right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.