Rhinebeck is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 7,548 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metropolitan area as well as the larger New York metropolitan area.

The town of Rhinebeck is in the northwestern part of Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley. "Rhinebeck" also refers to the village of Rhinebeck, located within the town. Rhinebeck residents living within the village are citizens of the town as well, but town residents living outside of the village line are not citizens of the village.

U.S. Route 9 passes through the town. It also includes the hamlet of Rhinecliff, which has an Amtrak station with service to Burlington,
Montreal, Toronto,
Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Albany, and New York City.

Rhinebeck is home of the Dutchess County Fair.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which  is land and , or 10.23%, is water.

The western town line, marked by the Hudson River, is the border of Ulster County. Neighboring Dutchess County towns are Red Hook to the north, Milan and Clinton to the east, and Hyde Park to the south.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,762 people, 3,001 households, and 1,797 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 3,255 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 92.5% white, 3.61% African American, .09% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 1.17% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.94% of the population.

There were 3,001 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 34% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.3% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,679, and the median income for a family was $67,837. Males had a median income of $49,028 versus $31,995 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,069.  About 3.1% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

In 1941, in Rhinebeck, a set of four historic panoramas of London, dating from about 1810, were found lining a barrel of pistols.  The Rhinebeck panorama was acquired by the Museum of London in 1998.

Notable people
 John Jacob Astor IV (1864–1912), millionaire businessman, real estate builder, inventor, writer born in Rhinebeck; died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic
 Hilarie Burton, actress famous for her role on  One Tree Hill, lives in Rhinebeck with her husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
 Alyssa Mastromonaco, American business executive and former Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations for President Barack Obama, grew up in Rhinebeck.
 Joseph Mazzello (born 1983), actor born in Rhinebeck
 Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born 1966), actor who built his home in Rhinebeck
 Charles B. Wessler  (born 1955), movie producer Dumb & Dumber, There’s Something About Mary lives in Rhinebeck
 Cole Palen (1925–1993), founder and former owner of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome living aviation museum 
 Steve Rikert (born 1969), racing driver born in Rhinebeck 
 Emma Roberts (born 1991), actress born in Rhinebeck
 Paul Rudd (born 1969), actor, lives in Rhinebeck and co-owns a sweet shop there with his friend Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
 Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno (1911–1992), former head of the Genovese crime family, spent most of his time at his  Rhinebeck horse farm during the 1970s and 1980s, before his incarceration
 William Seabrook (1884– 1945), explorer and author, committed suicide in Rhinebeck
 Lorraine Toussaint, actress
 Rufus Wainwright, singer-songwriter born in Rhinebeck

Communities and locations in the town of Rhinebeck 
Eighmyville—a location northeast of Rhinebeck village.
Ellerslie—a location in the southwestern part of the town near the Hudson River.
Rhinebeck, the eponymous village.
Rhinecliff—a hamlet on the east bank of the Hudson River.
Weys Corners—a location in the northeastern part of the town.
Württemberg—a hamlet in the southeastern part of the town.

References

External links

 
  Rhinebeck Chamber of Commerce information
 Starr Library
 Museum of Rhinebeck History
 Rhinecliff hamlet
 Consortium of Rhinebeck History Digital Collections

 
New York (state) populated places on the Hudson River
Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area
Towns in Dutchess County, New York
Towns in New York (state)
Towns in the New York metropolitan area