Town · New York
Town of Caroline, New York
Caroline (town), town, in Tompkins County, New York. Caroline (town) had 3,184 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 4.6% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 3,334 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 3,280 (±19). GEOID 3610912606.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
3,184
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 3,334 · ACS 2020-2024: 3,280 ±19
Median household income
$80,855
±$21,047 (90% margin)
New York: $85,974
Median home value
$234,200
±$40,258 (90% margin)
New York: $423,800
Median gross rent
$1,398
±$416 (90% margin)
New York: $1,621
Where is Caroline (town) and what county is it in?
Caroline (town) is a town in Tompkins County, New York. It covers 54.8 square miles of land, 61 residents per square mile in 2020.
2 places lie inside the Town of Caroline: Brooktondale (CDP, 261 in 2020) and Slaterville Springs (CDP, 208 in 2020).
Caroline (town) is in the Ithaca, NY metropolitan statistical area (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Caroline (town), and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 3,184 people lived in Caroline (town) on July 1, 2025, down 4.6% since 2020, a steeper fall than New York's (−1.0%). The 2020 Census counted 3,334 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 3,280 (±19).
| Measure | Caroline (town) | Tompkins County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 3,280±19 | 104,537 | −82 |
| Households | 1,503±107 | 43,263 | +184 |
| Average household size | 2.18±0.15 | 2.06 | −0.35 |
| Housing units | 1,590±111 | 47,804 | +179 |
Caroline (town)'s population since 2000
From 2,910 in 2000 to 3,184 in 2025: up 9.4%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Caroline (town) as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Caroline (town)?
The median resident of Caroline (town) is 40.5 years old; 17.9% are under 18 and 18.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 85.3%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 7.1%.
| Measure | Caroline (town) | Tompkins County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 40.5±3.5 | 32.3 | +7.0 |
| Under 18 years | 17.9%±3.6 pts | 14.1% | – |
| 65 years and over | 18.5%±4.1 pts | 16.3% | – |
| Male | 49.1%±4.4 pts | 48.7% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 6.1%±4.4 pts | 6.6% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 85.3%±6.5 pts | 73.7% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.1%±0.1 pts | 3.6% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 1.4%±1.5 pts | 10.1% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0%±1.3 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0%±1.3 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 7.1%±4.0 pts | 4.7% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0%±1.3 pts | 1.1% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.9%±1.1 pts | 12.9% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 6.8%±4.6 pts | 17.4% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 4.4%±2.0 pts | 3.6% | – |
| With a disability | 10.2%±3.3 pts | 12.0% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 2.9%±2.5 pts | 4.4% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 98.5%±1.5 pts | 95.6% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 59.1%±8.7 pts | 58.8% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 33.6%±7.0 pts | 34.8% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 87.4%±6.1 pts | 72.2% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 1.0%±1.2 pts | 10.7% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Caroline (town) earn?
Half of Caroline (town)'s 1,503 households earn less than $80,855 a year (±$21,047), against $74,024 in Tompkins County and $85,974 in New York. In 2015-2019 it was $79,838 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 14.6% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Caroline (town) | Tompkins County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $80,855±$21,047 | $74,024 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $109,968±$17,245 | $102,718 | – |
| Per capita income | $49,895±$6,625 | $41,808 | +$12,233 |
| People below the poverty line | 14.6%±6.1 pts | 16.4% | +9.6 pts |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 29.7%±17.5 pts | 11.0% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 8.3%±5.5 pts | 8.9% | – |
| Households with a computer | 98.7%±1.5 pts | 96.6% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 97.3%±1.9 pts | 90.6% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Caroline (town)?
Owners occupy 65.6% of Caroline (town)'s occupied homes and renters 34.4%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $234,200 by its owner (±$40,258). The median renter pays $1,398 a month including utilities, and 30.2% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.
| Measure | Caroline (town) | Tompkins County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $234,200±$40,258 | $290,900 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $1,398±$416 | $1,411 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 30.2%±15.2 pts | 49.0% | no clear change |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,686±$173 | $2,042 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 65.6%±8.6 pts | 54.1% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 34.4%±8.6 pts | 45.9% | – |
| Housing units | 1,590±111 | 47,804 | +179 |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0%±4.2 pts | 0.9% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0%±7.1 pts | 2.8% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 72.3%±7.0 pts | 50.1% | – |
| Mobile homes | 10.2%±5.0 pts | 7.6% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.7%±1.0 pts | 1.1% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 14.0%±7.1 pts | 8.3% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 33.8%±7.4 pts | 25.9% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 7.1%±6.9 pts | 14.1% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How many new homes is Caroline (town) building?
Builders took permits for 6 new housing units in Caroline (town) in 2025 (6 in single-family houses; the permit office reported 9 of 12 months), 1.9 per 1,000 residents against 1.9 across New York.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in Caroline (town) work and get to work?
63.9% of Caroline (town)'s workers drive alone and 22.1% work from home. The average trip to work takes 21.3 minutes.
| Measure | Caroline (town) | Tompkins County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 71.5%±5.2 pts | 58.4% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1%±3.5 pts | 5.5% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 63.9%±11.8 pts | 51.7% | – |
| Carpooled | 12.6%±7.9 pts | 9.3% | – |
| Public transportation | 1.0%±1.5 pts | 4.6% | – |
| Walked | 0.3%±0.7 pts | 11.4% | – |
| Worked from home | 22.1%±9.1 pts | 20.0% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 21.3 min±2.5 | 20.1 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Caroline (town)?
1 census tract lies mostly in Caroline (town), and 3 more reach into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 19.01Tompkins County | 3,103 | $80,658 |
| Tract 19.02Tompkins County | 3,256 | $99,886 |
| Tract 13.02Tompkins County | 2,713 | $115,299 |
| Tract 14Tompkins County | 3,428 | $91,620 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Caroline (town)) · Census block assignment files
How does Caroline (town) compare with other places in New York?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Caroline (town) is the 3,408th-most populous of the 16,079 U.S. towns and townships that have one and the 417th-most populous of 924 in New York.
Caroline (town) ranks 860th of 1,623 places in New York with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 417th | 924 |
| Growth 2020-2025 (PEP) | 1,173rd | 1,225 |
| Residents per square mile | 1,340th | 1,657 |
| Median household income | 860th | 1,623 |
| Per capita income | 562nd | 1,653 |
| Median home value | 805th | 1,637 |
| Median gross rent | 504th | 1,515 |
| Poverty rate | 348th | 1,331 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 195th | 1,640 |
| Median age | 1,146th | 1,654 |
| Owner-occupied share | 1,292nd | 1,639 |
| Work from home | 161st | 1,350 |
| Travel time to work | 1,257th | 1,652 |
Caroline (town)'s figures with every place in New York (CSV)
Every place in New York, sortable · Compare Caroline (town) with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Caroline (town)?
18 of the 57 figures for Caroline (town) on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Caroline (town) are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.