Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,522, settled in 1858.
Altona earns a D, 685th of 745 graded towns in New York, mostly because of incomes. The median household income is $51K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, a typical home costs about $148K, 2.1 years of the Plattsburgh area’s $71K median household income. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 100% of U.S. towns. 12% of the land in Altona is conserved, where New York’s towns sit at 5.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Only 48 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on history.
Where Altona beats most towns.
Where Altona’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Altona is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,665 in 1860, a peak of 3,570 in 1880, 2,666 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1850 and 4 maps from 1895 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Altona, 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 Altona.
Altona gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
At 2.1 years of the Plattsburgh area’s $71K median household income, the typical home (about $148K) costs less against local pay than in 86% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,687, against $6,582 across New York, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Typical home values rose 13% in the year to September 2026. At $997 a month, Altona’s median rent is close to New York’s towns ($1,103 a month) and below U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Altona | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $997 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
41 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Flat Rock State Forest, at 1,908 acres with 7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Flat Rock State Forest | 7 mi | 1,908 |
| 2. Spring Brook State Forest | 0.4 mi | 1,143 |
| 3. Lewis Preserve Wildlife Management Area | — | 1,312 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Altona has 235 jobs for its 982 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
2.2% of working residents work locally in Altona. The top destinations are Plattsburgh (19%), Plattsburgh (16%) and Champlain (14%). Altona’s average trip to work is 27 minutes.
| Altona | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 6,265 U.S. towns with household incomes like Altona’s, it is healthier than 63%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Altona beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 18% of Altona adults smoke cigarettes.
| Altona | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 25% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Altona | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 17.9% | 11.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6% |
| More adults with depression | 22.5% | 17.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Ellenburg Depot weather station, 9 miles away, records that 107 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. The Ellenburg Depot weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Altona has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Altona is 78°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of New York towns; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1996, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Altona.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Altona
About 0 of every 100 Altona residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Town in New York, United States
Altona is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 2,666 at the 2020 census. The town was named after the Altona, Hamburg, district of Germany (which was an independent Danish, later Prussian town at the time of foundation of Altona, NY). The town contains a hamlet also called Altona. The town is located in north-central Clinton County. The western part is inside the Adirondack Park boundary, but the entire town is specifically excluded from the park by statute. Altona is northwest of Plattsburgh.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Altona.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Beekmantown (C) is closest.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altona | #685 | D | A− | — | C | C |
| Mooers | #455 | C+ | A− | — | B | C |
| Chazy | #428 | B− | B | — | B− | B− |
| Ellenburg | — | — | A | — | C | D |
| Beekmantown | #579 | C | B | — | C | B |
| Dannemora | #541 | C | A− | — | C | C− |
Ellenburg has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Altona, Mooers, Chazy, Ellenburg, Beekmantown and Dannemora report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Altona with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Altona grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #685 of 745 in New York. It grades C for health and C for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.