Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ancram’s best subject grade is an A for history; its weakest is a C− for cost of living. Ancram’s average trip to work is 35 minutes, where New York’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 24% of the land in Ancram is conserved, where New York’s towns sit at 5.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Its National Register listings include Simons General Store and St. John's Lutheran Church. Ancram has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ancram beats most towns.
Census counts: 3,147 in 1820, 1,440 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1779 and 3 maps from 1902 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Ancram is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ancram, 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 Ancram.
Most working residents leave Ancram for work: only 11% work in town. 20% of workers work from home in Ancram. Jobs based in Ancram fell to 255 in 2023, 23 fewer than in 2013.
| Ancram | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $100,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
21 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Doodletown Wildlife Management Area, at 699 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Taconic State Park – Rudd Pond Area | 2.4 mi | 633 |
| 2. Doodletown Wildlife Management Area | 1.2 mi | 699 |
| 3. Harlem Valley Rail Trail | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Ancram beats the New York average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 15% of Ancram adults report frequent mental distress.
| Ancram | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Ancram | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.7% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.7% | 17.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Adults 18 to 34 are 13% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 24% of residents (18% statewide). The median age in Ancram is 46.8 years. 42% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.
| Ancram | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46.8 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 32% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 22% | 20% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.3 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Ancram | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.5% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.9% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.1% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.7% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.9% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.2% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.8% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.6% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.6% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.8% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.5% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.7% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.9% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.6% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
Ancram has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 50 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Ancram home is worth about $589,000, up 6.1% in a year, 12% above the New York typical home.
| Ancram | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 89% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,131 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ancram.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ancram. Close and well known come first.
24 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
18 mi MuseumOlana State Historic Site
24 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year
21 mi MuseumNorman Rockwell Museum
26 mi TheatreTanglewood
38 mi LakeCandlewood LakeHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Olana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Norman Rockwell Museum: User:Rmrfstar, CC BY 2.5 · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Candlewood Lake: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Ancram; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Ancram residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Town in New York, United States
Ancram is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,440 at the 2020 census, down from 1,573 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Ancram (now Ancrum), Scotland. Ancram is in the southeastern corner of the county.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. That is 7.2 years of the area's median household income ($81,528 across the Hudson, NY area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
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