Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ballston does the important things well, at a cost. On health it is strong: residents are healthier than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. This New York town grades A overall and ranks 128th of 745 in New York. Nationally, it does better than 85% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is cost of living (C−) — the typical home is worth about $373K, 4.2 years of the Albany metro’s $88K median household income. The town has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Verbeck House and Calvary Episcopal Church. Ballston's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 83% of U.S. towns. 50% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more locally, against 32% in New York’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Ballston beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Ballston | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.6% | 17.2% |
9,776 counted in 2010 and 11,831 in 2020; an estimated 13,547 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 14.7% since 2020, after 21% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Ballston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 7,333 in 1790, a low of 1,155 in 1810, 11,831 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 5 maps from 1893 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ballston. Close and well known come first.
10 mi MuseumNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
34 mi LandmarkFort William Henry
29 mi Theme parkGreat Escape
8 mi TheatreSaratoga Performing Arts Center
19 mi State parkGrant Cottage State Historic Site
22 mi Stadium & arenaMVP ArenaNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame: Peter Flass, CC BY 3.0 · Fort William Henry: IrisKawling at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Great Escape: Jared and Corin, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Saratoga Performing Arts Center: UpstateNYer., CC BY-SA 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ballston, 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 Ballston.
Ballston trades workers with Colonie and other neighbors and has less food insecurity than most of New York.
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 8.6% of its 18,989 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
Ballston: a fifth of adults have been diagnosed with depression. In Ballston, nearly a fifth of adults get no exercise outside work, and 13% say their health is fair or poor.
| Ballston | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 37% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ballston | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.6% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.3% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Three of the 4 schools are below, and why each made the list. The largest public high school is Ballston Spa Senior High School, with 1,300 students. The Ballston Spa Central School District runs its public schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballston Spa Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 883 | C+ |
| Ballston Spa Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,300 | A− |
| Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Senior High SchoolTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 965 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
3 flood insurance claims have been paid in Ballston since 1991. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage locally than in 93% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Ballston households in 5 declared disasters; the latest was in 2019. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 64% come from inland flooding and 11% from tornadoes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Count the trails in 6 parks and preserves and they come to 6.4 miles. Anchor Diamond Park, at 254 acres with 3.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. For Ballston, the concentration of trails is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Ballston | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.3% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Anchor Diamond Park | 3.8 mi | 254 |
| 2. Jenkins Park | 1.2 mi | 43 |
| 3. Ballston Creek Preserve | 0.6 mi | 29 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
A winter brings about 64 inches of snow, with January nights at 14° and July afternoons at 82°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ballston has about as many jobs (5,622) as working residents, but only 579 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 2,643 in 2013 to 5,622.
The average commute in Ballston is 27 minutes. Jobs in Ballston grew by 2,979 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 5,622. For residents locally, the share who live below the poverty line is 4.9%. Half the trips to work are shorter than 13 miles.
| Ballston | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 19% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $116,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.9% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ballston has grown 15% since 2020, to 13,547 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide). Half of adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 40% across New York.
| Ballston | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 50% | 32% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 22% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.6 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
55% women, 45% men
About 81 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.9 points). Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Ballston | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.5% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.6% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.6% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.3% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.4% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.4% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.2% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.3% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.8% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.6% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.3% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.3% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.3% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.7% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical rent for Ballston comes to $1,688 a month. Bidding over the asking price: 52% of homes sold locally. Also worth knowing: in Ballston, 77% of households live in a home they own.
| Ballston | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,688 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5 within 15 miles of the center of Ballston
About 3 of every 100 Ballston residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
2 places in Ballston on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Ballston.
Town in New York, United States
Ballston is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 11,831 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from an early settler, Eliphalet Ball, a Presbyterian minister who relocated there from Westchester County, New York, in 1770. The town is in the southern part of the county, and is north of Schenectady.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Ballston.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballston | #128 | A | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Clifton Park | #35 | A+ | C | — | A | A |
| Charlton | #164 | A− | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Malta | #142 | A− | C− | — | A− | A |
| Milton | #184 | A− | C+ | — | B+ | A− |
| Country Knolls | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Glenville | #162 | A− | C+ | B | B | A |
Ballston, Clifton Park, Charlton, Malta and Milton report no FBI crime data of their own. Country Knolls isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ballston with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Ballston grades A overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #128 of 745 in New York. It grades A for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $373,000, 29% 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 C−.
Ballston has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 8 notable people were born here, including Samuel I. Prime and Hamilton K. Wheeler.
