Infrastructure Summary

In Orange County, most paved public roads are maintained by towns and villages, which accounted for about 65% in 2011 and now represent roughly 67% of all roads. The County oversees about 11.1%, New York State 14.7%, and the federal government 7%. In 2025, 18%, or 85 of 462 bridges in Orange County, were in poor condition.

In 2025, much of the New York State Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) investment was directed toward the Town of Warwick and the cities of Newburgh and Middletown, while the County of Orange received approximately $3.5 million for the State Fiscal year of 2025-2026.

Only the cities of Middletown and Port Jervis have adopted Complete Streets policies. On the county level, all of the Mid-Hudson counties, excluding Putnam and Sullivan counties, have adopted Complete Streets policies.

Commuting patterns show that driving alone remains the dominant mode, rising from 75% to 78% between 2005 and 2023, while remote work increased sharply from 3% to 12%. Mean travel times to work decreased across New York State, with Orange County’s dropping by 28.3% since 2000.

Orange County continues to benefit from a variety of public transit options. Train ridership remains the major source of public transportation. Bus ridership in the county grew from just over 2.7 million trips in 2016 to more than 3.2 million in 2024, particularly in Kiryas Joel. Dial-A-Ride services vary by municipality, with fixed-route available in the cities of Middletown and Newburgh, the Town of Monroe, and the Village of Kiryas Joel. Additionally, there is ADA paratransit available in the cities of Middletown and Newburgh, and the Town of Monroe.

Collisions between cars and trucks and pedestrians and cyclists in Orange County reached a high in 2010 and have declined steadily since. No bicyclist fatalities were recorded in 2023.

Air travel in the broader Hudson Valley region declined overall from 2006 to 2025, although Westchester County Airport saw a marked increase in passengers.

Westchester County has the largest number of Climate Smart Communities (CSC) with a total of 42, followed by Dutchess County at 25 and Orange County at 19, respectively. Within Orange County, three of the 19 CSC communities are at the Bronze level – the Town of Highlands, Village of Warwick, and the Village of Woodbury. The County is also Bronze certified.

For the first time in this Report, the number of electric vehicle charging stations is noted. Orange County has 78. Sullivan County has the fewest with 28, while Westchester has the highest in the Mid-Hudson region with 205.

Natural gas has become the primary household energy source, and the county generates about 5.6 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, consuming 44.6 million BTUs, with 53 power plants and 38 energy companies.

The average age of wastewater treatment plants in Orange County is 56 years, matching the regional average and suggesting aging infrastructure in need of modernization.

In terms of housing and land use, Orange County continues to see steady growth in households, with a slight shift toward more renters than years prior. The share of households without a vehicle fell modestly to 8.6%, while single-vehicle households increased (32% in 2023 versus 28.4% in 2005).

Large areas of farmland and open space remain protected, particularly in Warwick, Goshen, Montgomery, and Crawford, and the county’s parks and trails system provides a wide range of recreational opportunities.