Picking flowers, Cornwall Island, 1898
Akwesasne’s story
272 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1898.
- 1754Akwesasne is settled
AkwesasneNY
A regional job hub with 2,835 jobs.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
4,089
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$178K
Census ACS
Household income
$52K
median
Median age
38.5
years
Jobs based here
2,835
A job hub
Is Akwesasne a good place to live?
32% of residents live below the poverty line in Akwesasne, where New York’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Among 759 New York towns, just one has a higher share of working residents who work in town than Akwesasne. 48% of the land in Akwesasne is conserved, where New York’s towns sit at 5.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. We don’t grade Akwesasne yet; the figures below are still real.
What makes Akwesasne stand out
Where Akwesasne beats most towns.
Getting set up
Moving to Akwesasne: who provides what
Akwesasne is unincorporated, so Franklin County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNational Grid19.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesFranklin CountyFranklin County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereFranklin County Board of ElectionsFranklin County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes13655, 12914, 13662, 1368313655 84% · 12914 7% · 13662 4% · 13683 4%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Akwesasne.
Outdoors
Akwesasne keeps nearly a third of its land conserved
Trails total 11 miles in 2 parks and preserves. Akwesasne’s density of trails comes in at 0.3 miles per square mile.
48.4%conserved
48.4%
conserved · 13,795 of 28,477 acres
11 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Akwasasne Walking/Biking/Nature Trails | 0.1 mi | 12 |
| 2. Indian Meadows Forest Preserve Detached Parcel | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commute
Akwesasne has 2.1 jobs for every working resident, and 2,011 people commute in
The top destinations are Massena (9%), Malone (4%) and Fort Covington (3%). 62% of Akwesasne’s working residents work right in town. Its middle household income stands at $52,000.
62%work in town
| Akwesasne | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Akwesasne62%
Massena9%
Malone4%
Fort Covington3%
Potsdam2%
4 mi
median commute distance
2,835
jobs based in Akwesasne
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
75″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter12–28°
Spring33–53°
Summer58–79°
Fall40–58°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 8
typical last frost
+2.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
A larger share of adults in Akwesasne have obesity than in the typical New York or U.S. town
A fifth of Akwesasne adults smoke cigarettes. Among 756 New York towns, just one has a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Akwesasne. The town beats the New York average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19.
| Akwesasne | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 17% |
32 measures vs. New York
2 better11 too close to call19 worse
| What stands out | Akwesasne | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 33.3% | 37.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 20% | 11.3% |
SLHS Massena
12.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
The biggest natural risk in Akwesasne is inland flooding, at a moderate overall level
2 flood insurance claims have been paid here since 1984. 73% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 9%. In Akwesasne, the FEMA risk score is 46 of 100.
46risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesCold waves
2
paid flood claims since 1984
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Akwesasne
16pages on Akwesasne
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Akwesasne; the nearest are
SUNY College at PotsdamUniversity or college · Public · Potsdam26 mi$8,768 in-state tuitionNorth Country Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Saranac Lake52.3 mi$6,682 in-state tuition
About 8 of every 100 Akwesasne residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
A job hub
Every workday, about 2,011 people come to Akwesasne for work
Where Akwesasne’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
2,835jobs based in Akwesasne
62%of working residents work in town
4 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Akwesasne
3 notable people were born in Akwesasne.
About Akwesasne
Mohawk territory in New York and Canada
The Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne ( AK-wə-SAS-neh; French: Nation Mohawk à Akwesasne; Mohawk: Ahkwesáhsne) is a Mohawk (Kanienʼkehá:ka) territory that straddles the intersection of international (United States and Canada) borders and provincial (Ontario and Quebec) boundaries on both banks of the St. Lawrence River. Although divided by an international border, the residents consider themselves to be one community. They maintain separate police forces due to jurisdictional issues and national laws. The community was founded in the mid-18th century by Mohawk families from Kahnawake (also known as Caughnawaga), a Catholic Mohawk village that developed south of Montreal along the St. Lawrence Rive…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1754
- Elevation
- 174 ft
Akwesasne’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Akwesasne.
MassenaFort CovingtonAkwesasne
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akwesasne | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Massena | #628 | C− | B | — | B− | C− |
| Fort Covington | — | — | A+ | — | D | D |
Fort Covington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Massena and Fort Covington report no FBI crime data of their own. Akwesasne isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Akwesasne with a neighbor →
Questions about Akwesasne
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Akwesasne, NY a good place to live?
We don’t grade Akwesasne yet; the figures below are still real.
What is Akwesasne, NY known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Kiawentiio Tarbell and Richard Oakes.