Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Au Sable is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C overall, ranked 533rd of 745 in New York, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 71% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $95K, and 12% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $133K, 1.9 years of the Plattsburgh area’s $71K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Stone Arch Bridge and Keeseville Historic District. Au Sable’s January low is 9°F, below both the New York town median (16°F) and the median of U.S. towns (22°F). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 76% of U.S. towns.
Where Au Sable beats most towns.
Where Au Sable’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 Au Sable is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,222 in 1840, a peak of 4,492 in 1850, 3,146 in 2010. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and a map from 1956 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Au Sable, 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 Au Sable.
Au Sable has homes that are cheap against local pay and has commutes shorter than most of New York, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
25 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Taylor Pond Wild Forest, at 24 acres.
| Au Sable | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Taylor Pond Wild Forest | 0.3 mi | 24 |
| 2. Ausable Marsh Wildlife Management Area | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Ausable Valley Central School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ausable Valley High School, with 342 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keeseville Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 364 | C− |
| Ausable Valley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 342 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 1,270 working residents takes 25.7 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Au Sable for work: only 10% work in town. Since 2013, Au Sable has added 72 jobs, to 646 in 2023. The top destinations are Plattsburgh (22%), Plattsburgh (19%) and Peru (4%).
| Au Sable | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $95,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Au Sable beats the New York average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 34% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Au Sable.
| Au Sable | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 37% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 5.2% | 5.9% | 8.1% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Au Sable | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.3% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.2% | 7.9% |
| More adults with depression | 22.1% | 17.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Au Sable has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Au Sable is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of New York towns, with expected losses of about $428 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Au Sable’s FEMA risk score is 67 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Au Sable since 2011.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 1.9 years of the Plattsburgh area’s $71K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 92% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $3,242, against $6,582 across New York, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Au Sable. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi LakeLake Champlain
33 mi MountainMount Marcy
21 mi MountainWhiteface Mountain
4 mi Canyon & gorgeAusable Chasm
36 mi MountainMount Mansfield
34 mi LakeLake Tear of the CloudsLake Champlain: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Mount Marcy: Daniel Tripp, Public domain · Whiteface Mountain: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ausable Chasm: Alan Prusila / Alanp35 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Mansfield: Original uploader was Calzarette (Joe Calzarette) at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Lake Tear of the Clouds: TheKilimanjaro, CC BY-SA 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Au Sable
About 5 of every 100 Au Sable residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
4 places in Au Sable on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
AuSable, also Au Sable or Ausable ( oss-AY-bəl), is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 3,146 at the 2010 census. The name is from the Ausable River that flows through the town and means "of sand". The town is in the southeastern corner of the county, south of Plattsburgh.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Au Sable.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Au Sable | #533 | C | B− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Chesterfield | — | — | B+ | — | C | B |
| Peru | #347 | B | C+ | — | B− | B+ |
| Jay | — | — | C+ | — | C | B+ |
| Black Brook | — | — | B | — | C | B |
| Keeseville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Chesterfield, Jay and Black Brook have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Au Sable, Chesterfield, Peru, Jay and Black Brook report no FBI crime data of their own. Keeseville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Au Sable with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Au Sable grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #533 of 745 in New York. It grades B+ for health and C+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
The typical home is worth about $133,000, 75% below the New York typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
