City profile · New York · Census ACS 2023

Valley Stream, NY

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Valley Stream — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

40,278
Residents
$127,426
Median income
$605,000
Median home
$1,579
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Valley Stream, NY

Valley Stream is a city in New York with a population of 40,278 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $127,426 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 2.6%. Typical homes in Valley Stream are valued around $605,000, and the median resident age is 42.0 years. About 38.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 64.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 19 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 533% from five years earlier.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, New York registers 107.9 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,579 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $285 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Valley Stream report an average commute of 36.9 minutes, with 56.1% driving alone and 11.2% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 69.4 out of 100 (Moderate).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

40,278 residents

Census ACS 2023 — New York

Median Household Income

$127,426 /yr

Poverty 2.6%

Cost of Living Index

107.9 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Valley Stream compare to other US cities?

Where Valley Stream sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 89% higher than other cities
Home value 89% pricier than other cities
Median rent 78% pricier than other cities

Percentiles compare Valley Stream against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Valley Stream, NY Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Valley Stream, NY. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Valley Stream, NY — median $127,426/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Valley Stream, NY — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 38.2%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 2.6%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 64.2%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
40,278
Median Income
$127,426
Median Home Value
$605,000
Median Age
42.0
Poverty Rate
2.6%
Labor force participation
64.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
38.2%

Schools

Total Schools
14
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
19
housing units authorized
Single-Family
3
detached homes
Multifamily
16
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.5
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 3
2020 4
2021 33
2022 4
2023 0
2024 19

Permit volume increased 533% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
36.9 minutes
Drive Alone
56.1%
Carpool
6.9%
Public Transit
20.5%
Walk
2.7%
Work from Home
11.2%
Other
2.6%

Based on 21,072 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for New York — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$130
avg/month
Natural Gas
$90
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$65
avg/month
Total Utilities
$285
estimated/month

Estimates reflect New York state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

New York state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
107.9
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,579/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
69.4 / 100
Moderate
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Valley Stream, NY Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Valley Stream, NY — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Valley Stream compares to nearby New York cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Valley Stream) plus the nearest peer cities in New York, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

NY

Valley Stream

127.43% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$127,426
Brackets
40
Selected

NY

Coram

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,150
Brackets
42
Selected

NY

Central Islip

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$3,780
Brackets
38
Selected

NY

West Babylon

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,320
Brackets
43
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NY NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Valley Stream, NY?

What is the population of Valley Stream, NY? +

Valley Stream, NY has a population of 40,278 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Valley Stream, NY? +

The median household income in Valley Stream is $127,426 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Valley Stream? +

Valley Stream has a cost of living index of 107.9 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

What is the median home value in Valley Stream, NY? +

The median home value in Valley Stream is $605,000, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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