Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The weak point is incomes: the median household income is $42K, and 37% of residents live below the poverty line. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 60% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Homes run about $147K for a typical one, 2.3 times the county’s $63K median household income. Walkability is its strong suit (A): it is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. All told, that adds up to a C+ overall, better than 37% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Terra Cotta Building and Fireman's Hall. Only 6 of the 758 New York towns we compare have a lower median age than Alfred. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places. Alfred is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among New York’s towns.
Where Alfred beats most towns.
Terra Cotta Building
Census counts: 1,701 in 1820, a low of 1,269 in 1920, 4,896 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Alfred is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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 is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Hornell and beyond and gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns.
2,338 jobs are based in Alfred, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 13.4 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Only 7 of the 758 New York towns we compare have a lower average trip to work than Alfred. In Alfred, nearly a quarter of working residents work locally, above both the New York town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). The top destinations are Wellsville (7%), Hornell (5%) and Buffalo (4%). 16% of workers work from home locally.
| Alfred | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 37% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Across 3 parks and preserves: 9.9 miles of trail. The biggest park or preserve is Phillips Creek State Forest, at 231 acres. The density of trails for Alfred comes to 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Alfred | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Phillips Creek State Forest | — | 231 |
| 2. Turnpike State Forest | — | 2 |
| 3. Pine Hill Playground | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Alfred weather station records that 82 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 77.9°, cooler than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 13.2°.
Alfred’s January low stands at 13°F. The seasons in the town: cold, snowy winters, pleasant summers.
| Alfred | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 81°F | 85°F |
| January low | 13°F | 16°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Alfred after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2014. FEMA puts 84% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding. One flood insurance claim has been paid here since 1979.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 3,142 U.S. towns with household incomes like Alfred’s, it is healthier than 94%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Alfred, 37% have high blood pressure. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Alfred is ahead of New York on 4 and behind on 10.
| Alfred | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Alfred | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.8% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.4% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Alfred
College town 64 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
6 places in Alfred on the National Register of Historic Places.
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)
4 towns share a border with Alfred.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred | – | C+ | C+ | — | B | B− |
| Hartsville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Andover | — | — | A | — | C− | C+ |
| Almond | — | — | B | — | B+ | B |
| West Almond | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Andover and Almond have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Alfred, Andover and Almond report no FBI crime data of their own. Hartsville and West Almond aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Alfred with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Alfred grades C+ overall, better than 37% 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 B− for health and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
