Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Amsterdam grades D overall, 664th of 745 graded towns in New York, mostly because of schools. Its schools rank behind 90% of the state's. It also has a long history, with 4 places on the National Register. 13% of residents are under 18 in Amsterdam, against 20% in New York’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Fort Johnson and Pawling Hall. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 76% of U.S. towns.
Where Amsterdam beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Fort Johnson
Kirk Douglas| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| William B Tecler Arts in Education | PK–5 | 465 |
| Amsterdam High School | 9–12 | 1,192 |
Fort Johnson is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,700 in 1840, a peak of 34,817 in 1930, 18,219 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1773 and 5 maps from 1895 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Amsterdam is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Amsterdam, 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 Amsterdam.
3,599 jobs are based in Amsterdam, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 25.2 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Half of commuters travel less than 15 miles. The top destinations are Amsterdam (18%), Schenectady (6%) and Albany (5%). For most workers, Amsterdam is a place to come home to: only 8% work in town. Also worth knowing: the share of workers in Amsterdam who work from home: 8.2%.
| Amsterdam | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 8.2% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.4% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The largest public high school is Amsterdam High School, with 1,192 students. Its two schools are below. Public school enrollment in the town: 1,657 students across 2 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| William B Tecler Arts in EducationLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 465 | C− |
| Amsterdam High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,192 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
For Amsterdam, the midpoint age is 47.7 years. People 65 and older are just over a quarter of residents (18% statewide); children under 18 are 13% of residents (21% statewide). The town has grown 7% since 2020, to 5,954 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 31% of adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 40% across New York.
| Amsterdam | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 47.7 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.2 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Amsterdam | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.9% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.4% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.9% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.5% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.6% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.9% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.5% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.9% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14.4% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.2% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.5% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 11.4% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.6% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.8% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.5% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
In Amsterdam, the peak summer temperature is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
7 flood insurance claims have been paid in Amsterdam since 1981. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. 77% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 7%. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Amsterdam after 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Strawberry Fields Nature Preserve, at 119 acres with 2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. In 3 parks and preserves, walkers have 3.6 miles of trail. Amsterdam’s trail density comes in at 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Amsterdam | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Strawberry Fields Nature Preserve | 2 mi | 119 |
| 2. Mosher Marsh Preserve | 0.8 mi | 43 |
| 3. Old Fort Johnson | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Among adults in Amsterdam, 38% have obesity. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Amsterdam is ahead of New York on 1 and behind on 10.
| Amsterdam | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Amsterdam | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.5% | 77.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.9% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Amsterdam. Close and well known come first.
39 mi LandmarkFort William Henry
36 mi Theme parkGreat Escape
22 mi MuseumNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
27 mi State parkGrant Cottage State Historic Site
30 mi Stadium & arenaMVP Arena22 mi CaveHowe CavernsFort William Henry: IrisKawling at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Great Escape: Jared and Corin, CC BY-SA 2.0 · National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame: Peter Flass, CC BY 3.0 · Grant Cottage State Historic Site: Coingeek at English Wikipedia, Public domain · MVP Arena: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Amsterdam
About 3 of every 100 Amsterdam residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Amsterdam’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
31 notable people were born in Amsterdam.
City in New York, United States
Amsterdam () is the largest and most populated city in Montgomery County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,219. The city is named after Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam is bordered on the northern and eastern sides by the town of Amsterdam. The city developed on both sides of the Mohawk River, with the majority located on the north bank. The Port Jackson area on the south side is also part of the city.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Amsterdam.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | #664 | D | B− | — | D | B− |
| Amsterdam | #735 | D− | C+ | — | D | C |
| Florida | #686 | D | C | — | D | B− |
| Perth | #534 | C | C+ | — | C+ | B− |
| Glenville | #162 | A− | C+ | B | B | A |
| Fort Johnson | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mohawk | #372 | B− | C+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Tribes Hill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Florida, Perth and Mohawk report no FBI crime data of their own. Fort Johnson and Tribes Hill aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Amsterdam with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Amsterdam grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #664 of 745 in New York. It grades B− for health and D for schools. Schools 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 B−.
31 notable people were born here, including Kirk Douglas and Raymond Tomlinson.
