All towns › Capital Region › Columbia County
Valatie, NY village
Population 1,709 (2024) · +3.6% since 2020 · graded against towns under 5,000
GEOID 3676617 · 42.413, -73.678
Readiness · are the ingredients there?coverage 100%
F
32.1 / 100
rank within the under 5,000 bandRanks 76 of 80 among towns under 5,000. Weakest in civic capacity and main street.
Momentum · is anything happening?3 of 4 inputs
▶ STEADY 49
49.2 / 100
50 is keeping pace · rising at 60Behind on prices; building not scored.
Median home value $325,100
Median gross rent $842
Drive to New York City 3 h 4 min
Main street businesses 6
Housing units permitted 0
Is Valatie, NY a good place to live or invest in?
Valatie is a village in Columbia County, in New York's Capital Region, with 1,709 residents in 2024, +3.6% since 2020. On Comeback Towns it scores 32.1 of 100 for readiness, grade F (rank 76 of 80 among towns under 5,000), and 49.2 of 100 for momentum, labelled steady. Weakest in civic capacity and main street. Momentum: behind on prices; building not scored. The median home was worth $325,100 (2020-2024, 94% of the metro median), and it is 3 h 4 min by road from New York City, 12.6 mi from the nearest Amtrak or Metro-North station.
Written from the figures below, not by hand. Comeback Towns sells nothing and takes no listings; a grade ranks a town against others of its size, and a momentum label is direction, not a forecast. None of it is financial, investment or relocation advice, and none of it measures crime or safety: check the cited source before acting on a figure. How the scores work · what this site is not.
Key facts, each with its period and source
- Median home value
- $325,100
- Metro median home value
- $347,100
- Zillow home value index
- $448,179
- Zillow home value change, 1 year
- +4.5%
- Median gross rent
- $842
- Median household income
- $100,461
- Homes built before 1940
- 33.9%
- National Register historic districts
- 0
- Drive to New York City
- 3 h 4 min
- Drive to the nearest regional hub
- 30 min
- Nearest Amtrak or Metro-North station
- 12.6 mi
- Drive to the nearest hospital
- 22 min
- Households with a wired broadband subscription
- 86.1%
- Residents under 18
- 16.6%
- Storefront businesses mapped
- 6
- Businesses per 1,000 residents
- 3.5 per 1,000
- Housing units permitted
- 0
- Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward awards
- 0
- County net migration of tax filers, per 1,000
- -5.1 per 1,000
Readiness: six factors
mean of usable inputs · weighted sum · every curveAccess 25% 58 NYC 3 h 4 min · hub 30 min · rail 12.6 mi
How easy it is to reach the city, a regional hub and a train.
| Input | Value | Normalised | Points | Period · source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drive to New York City drive_min_nyc: lower is better; scores 1 at 60 min or less, falling in a straight line to 0 at 240 min. | 3 h 4 min | 0.31 | 2.6 | 2026-09 · osrm |
| Drive to nearest regional hub drive_min_regional_hub: lower is better; scores 1 at 15 min or less, falling in a straight line to 0 at 90 min. | 30 min | 0.80 | 6.6 | 2026-09 · osrm |
| Nearest rail station miles_to_rail_station: lower is better; scores 1 at 2 mi or less, falling in a straight line to 0 at 30 mi. | 12.6 mi | 0.62 | 5.2 | 2026 · rail |
Building stock 15% 24 pre-1940 33.9% · historic district: no
Whether there is a pre-war fabric worth restoring.
| Input | Value | Normalised | Points | Period · source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1940 pre1940_share: higher is better; scores 1 at 0.6 or more, falling in a straight line to 0 at 0.1. | 33.9% | 0.48 | 3.6 | 2020-2024 · acs |
| Historic district present has_nrhp_district: 1 when a National Register historic district lies within the place, otherwise 0. | No | 0.00 | 0.0 | 2026 · nrhp |
Main street 15% 8 businesses 3.5 per 1,000
How much storefront activity already exists per resident.
| Input | Value | Normalised | Points | Period · source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Businesses per 1,000 residents osm_business_per_1k: higher is better; scores 1 at 20 per 1,000 or more, falling in a straight line to 0 at 2 per 1,000. | 3.5 per 1,000 | 0.08 | 1.3 | 2026-10 · osm |
Price headroom 15% 44 price 94% of metro
Whether prices leave room to rise without having already been found.
| Input | Value | Normalised | Points | Period · source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value median_home_value divided by metro_median_home_value. price ratio to the metro median: cheapest is not best: a town priced well below its metro has headroom, one priced far below it has no demand yet, and one at or above it has already been found; scores 1 at 0.6, and 0 at or below 0.25 and at or above 1.2, with straight lines between. | $325,100 | 0.44 | 6.6 | 2020-2024 · acs |
| Metro median home value | $347,100 | benchmark | — | 2020-2024 · acs |
Services 15% 42 broadband 86.1% · under 18 16.6% · hospital within 20 min: no
Broadband, the share of residents under 18, and a hospital within reach.
| Input | Value | Normalised | Points | Period · source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband subscription broadband_subscription_share: higher is better; scores 1 at 0.9 or more, falling in a straight line to 0 at 0.5. | 86.1% | 0.90 | 4.5 | 2020-2024 · acs |
| Share under 18 under_18_share: higher is better; scores 1 at 0.25 or more, falling in a straight line to 0 at 0.12. | 16.6% | 0.36 | 1.8 | 2020-2024 · acs |
| Hospital within 20 minutes hospital_within_20min: 1 when a hospital is within a 20-minute drive, otherwise 0. | No | 0.00 | 0.0 | 2026-09 · osrm |
Civic capacity 15% 0 no state award
Whether the state has backed the downtown with a revitalization award.
| Input | Value | Normalised | Points | Period · source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latest downtown award dri_award_amount: higher is better; scores 1 at 1e+07 USD or more, falling in a straight line to 0 at 0 USD. | $0 | 0.00 | 0.0 | 2016-2025 · dri |
| Latest award year dri_award_year: 1 when the award is at most 3 years old, fading in a straight line to 0.3 at 10 years and staying there. | not applicable | — | — |
Momentum: against a benchmark
v2 · howPrices 35% 38 home values +4.5% vs NY +5.8%
Whether home values rose faster over the past year than in the typical New York place.
| Input | Value | Normalised | Points | Period · source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home value change, one year zhvi_change_1y minus zhvi_change_1y_ny_median. one-year home value change against the typical New York place: higher is better; scores 1 at 5 percentage points or more, falling in a straight line to 0 at -5 percentage points. | +4.5% | 0.38 | 13.2 | 2026-08 · zillow |
| Typical NY place home value change | +5.8% | benchmark | — | 2026-08 · zillow |
Building 25% n/a no usable inputs
Whether more homes are being permitted than two years ago, per resident.
| Input | Value | Normalised | Points | Period · source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change in permit rate permit_rate_change: higher is better; scores 1 at 2 units per 1,000 residents a year or more, falling in a straight line to 0 at -2 units per 1,000 residents a year. | not available at this sample size | — | — | 2021-2023 to 2023-2025 · permits |
People 40% 59 population +3.6% vs NY -1% · county filers -5.1 per 1,000 vs NY -1.9 per 1,000
Whether the population has held up better since 2020 than in the typical New York place, and whether the county gains tax filers faster than the typical New York county.
| Input | Value | Normalised | Points | Period · source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population change since 2020 population_change minus population_change_ny_median. population change since 2020 against the typical New York place: higher is better; scores 1 at 3 percentage points or more, falling in a straight line to 0 at -3 percentage points. | +3.6% | 1.00 | 20.0 | 2020-2024 · popest |
| Typical NY place population change | -1% | benchmark | — | 2020-2024 · popest |
| County net migration of tax filers county_net_migration_rate minus county_net_migration_rate_ny_median. county net migration of tax filers against the typical New York county: higher is better; scores 1 at 5 per 1,000 filers or more, falling in a straight line to 0 at -5 per 1,000 filers. | -5.1 per 1,000 | 0.18 | 3.7 | 2022-2023 · irs |
| Typical NY county net migration | -1.9 per 1,000 | benchmark | — | 2022-2023 · irs |
NOTEMomentum is renormalised over the factors that have data, so this score rests on fewer than all of them. Coverage is shown wherever the score is.
More figures
Median household income $100,461
Vacant housing share not available at this sample size
Poverty rate not available at this sample size
Homes built before 1940 33.9%
Broadband subscription 86.1%
Share under 18 16.6%
Historic districts 0
Drive to nearest hospital 22 min
Nearest rail station 12.6 mi
Population change since 2020 +3.6%
Zillow home value index $448,179
Home value change, one year +4.5%
Units permitted per 1,000 residents not available at this sample size
Change in permit rate not available at this sample size
County tax-filer inflow 2,261
County tax-filer outflow 2,509
State downtown awards 0
Peers: Capital Region towns under 5,000
Compare with the two nearest →| # | Town | Pop. | Grade | Readiness | Momentum | Home value | To NYC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catskill Greene | 3,723 | A | 74.4 | ▶ STEADY 44 | $242,500 | 2 h 34 min |
| 2 | Schuylerville Saratoga | 1,354 | A | 72.4 | ▶ STEADY 49 | $215,900 | 4 h |
| 3 | Lake George Warren | 1,007 | B | 59.3 | ▲ RISING 71 | $301,900 | 4 h 16 min |
| 4 | Waterford Saratoga | 2,020 | B | 59.1 | NO LABEL · 2 OF 4 | $157,500 | 3 h 22 min |
| 5 | Greenwich Washington | 1,669 | B | 57.9 | ▲ RISING 62 | $209,500 | 4 h 3 min |
| 27 | Valatie Columbia · this town | 1,709 | F | 32.1 | ▶ STEADY 49 | $325,100 | 3 h 4 min |
Other places in Columbia County
Hudson, NYChatham, NYPhilmont, NYKinderhook, NY
All of Columbia County: towns ranked by readiness · all Capital Region towns.
Sources for this page
the key is the exact snapshot in our archive| Source | Period | Pulled | Figures | Snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Community Survey 5-year estimates | 2020-2024 | 2026-09-18 | Homes built before 1940 | raw/acs/2026-09-18/acs5_2024_B25034_place.json |
| American Community Survey 5-year estimates | 2020-2024 | 2026-09-18 | Metro median home value | raw/acs/2026-09-18/acs5_2024_B25077_cbsa.json |
| American Community Survey 5-year estimates | 2020-2024 | 2026-09-18 | Median home value | raw/acs/2026-09-18/acs5_2024_B25077_place.json |
| American Community Survey 5-year estimates | 2020-2024 | 2026-09-18 | Broadband subscription | raw/acs/2026-09-18/acs5_2024_B28002_place.json |
| American Community Survey 5-year estimates | 2020-2024 | 2026-09-18 | Share under 18 | raw/acs/2026-09-18/acs5_2024_B09001_place.json |
| American Community Survey 5-year estimates | 2020-2024 | 2026-09-18 | Median gross rent | raw/acs/2026-09-18/acs5_2024_B25064_place.json |
| American Community Survey 5-year estimates | 2020-2024 | 2026-09-18 | Median household income | raw/acs/2026-09-18/acs5_2024_B19013_place.json |
| American Community Survey 5-year estimates | 2020-2024 | 2026-09-18 | Vacant housing share | raw/acs/2026-09-18/acs5_2024_B25002_place.json |
| American Community Survey 5-year estimates | 2020-2024 | 2026-09-18 | Poverty rate | raw/acs/2026-09-18/acs5_2024_B17001_place.json |
| Building Permits Survey, place-level annual (Northeast region) | 2021-2023 to 2023-2025 | 2026-09-18 | Change in permit rate, Housing units permitted, Units permitted per 1,000 residents | raw/permits/2026-09-18/ne2025a.txt |
| Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward awards | 2016-2025 | 2026-09-18 | Latest downtown award, State downtown awards | raw/dri/2026-09-18/manifest.json |
| National Register of Historic Places, spatial data | 2026 | 2026-09-18 | Historic district present, Historic districts | raw/nrhp/2026-09-18/ny_districts_polygons.json |
| OpenStreetMap via Overpass API | 2026-10 | 2026-10-05 | Businesses per 1,000 residents, Main street businesses | raw/osm/2026-10-05/3676617.json |
| OSRM routing (public demo server) | 2026-09 | 2026-09-18 | Drive to New York City, Drive to nearest regional hub, Hospital within 20 minutes, Drive to nearest hospital | raw/osrm/2026-09-18/3676617.json |
| Population Estimates, sub-county (cities and towns) | 2020-2024 | 2026-10-05 | Typical NY place population change, Population change since 2020 | raw/popest/2026-10-05/sub-est2024.csv |
| Rail stations (Amtrak and Metro-North) | 2026 | 2026-09-18 | Nearest rail station | raw/rail/2026-09-18/amtrak_stations.json |
| SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration data | 2022-2023 | 2026-09-19 | Typical NY county net migration, County net migration of tax filers, County tax-filer inflow | raw/irs/2026-09-19/countyinflow2223.csv |
| SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration data | 2022-2023 | 2026-09-19 | County tax-filer outflow | raw/irs/2026-09-19/countyoutflow2223.csv |
| Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Observed Rent Index (ZORI), city level | 2026-08 | 2026-10-05 | Typical NY place home value change, Home value change, one year, Zillow home value index | raw/zillow/2026-10-05/zhvi_city.csv |
Readiness computed 2026-10-05 with methodology v1; momentum computed 2026-10-05 with momentum methodology v2. Something wrong? Send a correction.