Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Alfred grades A− overall, better than 81% of U.S. towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it reports less crime per resident than 86% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the median household income is $41K, and 37% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns. Alfred is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among New York’s towns. 3.9% of residents are 65 or older in Alfred, below both the New York town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Alfred is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. No town among the 758 in New York we compare has a lower share of children under 18 than Alfred.
Where Alfred beats most towns.
2 colleges in town.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Alfred is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,701 in 1820, a low of 1,269 in 1920, 4,896 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alfred, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Alfred.
Alfred pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the New York norm, is shaped by its college students and has less diabetes than most of New York.
2.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Alfred’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile. Among 740 New York towns, just 9 have a lower share of conserved land than Alfred.
| Alfred | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.8 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pine Hill Playground | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Alfred grades A− overall with a typical home of about $197K, below the New York typical value; only 33 of the 89 New York towns graded A− or better can say that.
The typical Alfred home is worth about $197,000, up 4.9% in a year, 62% below the New York typical home. 48% of households own their home in Alfred.
| Alfred | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $899 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2,157 jobs are based in Alfred, 2.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 12.2 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Among 757 New York towns, just 5 have a lower median household income than Alfred. The average trip to work in Alfred is 12 minutes. Since 2013, Alfred has added 226 jobs, to 2,157 in 2023.
| Alfred | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 12 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 16% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with New York is diabetes: 2.6% of its 3,914 adults have diabetes, against 11.5% statewide.
2.6% of Alfred adults have diabetes. No town among the 755 in New York we compare has a lower share of adults who have high blood pressure than Alfred. 25% of Alfred adults have obesity.
| Alfred | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 2.6% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Alfred | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 2.6% | 11.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 1.9% | 7.7% |
| More binge drinkers | 24.8% | 16.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 6.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 74% of New York’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 33 to 5 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Alfred weather station records that 82 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Alfred has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80° and January nights drop to 14°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Alfred since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Alfred
College town 80 of every 100 Alfred residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Alfred’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Alfred.
Town in New York, United States
Alfred is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 4,896 at the 2020 census. The Town of Alfred has a village named Alfred in the center of the town. Alfred University and Alfred State College are located in the Village of Alfred.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Alfred grades A− overall, better than 81% of U.S. towns. Alfred is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among New York’s towns. It grades A for health, A for safety and A− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($62,869 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
3 notable people were born here, including Alfred Allen and Lowell Fitz Randolph.
