Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The picture is mixed. Safety is its weak spot: it reports more crime per resident than nearly four fifths of U.S. towns, including 55 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Batavia’s overall grade of C+ puts it better than 38% of U.S. towns, 483rd of 745 in New York. It lags on incomes as well: the median household income is $59K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $206K, 2.8 years of the Batavia area’s $73K median household income. Where it does best is walkability (A−): it is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Holland Land Office and Richmond Memorial Library. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 10 places on the National Register.
Figures: FBI crime data, 2025 · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Batavia beats most towns.
Holland Land Office
Holland Land Office is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 100 in 1810, 15,600 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1823 and 2 maps from 1950 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Batavia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Batavia, 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 Batavia.
Batavia is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Batavia and other neighbors, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
53% of households are owner-occupiers in Batavia, against 75% in New York’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 6.2% in value. Its midpoint rent comes in at $925 a month.
| Batavia | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $925 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The public schools here belong to the Batavia City School District. The largest public high school is Batavia High School, with 646 students. Two of its 6 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batavia Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 605 | C− |
| Batavia High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 646 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Trails total 2.3 miles in 13 parks and preserves. Dewitt Recreation Area, at 70 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Batavia | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dewitt Recreation Area | 1.5 mi | 70 |
| 2. Centennial Park | 0.2 mi | 15 |
| 3. Williams Park | 0.2 mi | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Batavia, the rate of reported violence is 3.7 per 1,000 residents. The town’s level of property crime stands at 19.9 per 1,000 residents, above both the New York town median (7.5) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9).
| Batavia | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 19.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of New York towns, with expected losses of about $426 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, Batavia has seen 30 flood insurance claims paid out. The town’s natural-hazard score from FEMA stands at 68 of 100. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Batavia once, in 2006. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 85% come from inland flooding.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Batavia has about as many jobs (8,025) as working residents, but only 1,817 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 21.3 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
The top destinations are Batavia (11%), Rochester (6%) and Amherst (5%). About one worker in four stays in Batavia for work. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Batavia dropped by 661, to 8,025. The typical journey to work here is 21 minutes.
| Batavia | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 10% | 8% |
| Work from home | 5% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 8,764 U.S. towns with household incomes like Batavia’s, it is healthier than 82%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Batavia, 31% have obesity. 38% of adults in Batavia sleep under 7 hours; 15% report frequent physical distress.
| Batavia | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Batavia | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8% | 6% |
| More smokers | 14.5% | 11.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Batavia. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaHighmark Stadium
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaRalph Wilson Stadium11 mi Theme parkSix Flags Darien Lake1.5M visitors a year
36 mi Stadium & arenaKeyBank Center
36 mi MuseumUSS The Sullivans
36 mi WaterfallEternal Flame FallsHighmark Stadium: James161723, CC0 · Ralph Wilson Stadium: User Evilarry on en.wikipedia, Public domain · KeyBank Center: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS The Sullivans: Unknown, Public domain · Eternal Flame Falls: Mpmajewski, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Batavia
About 3 of every 100 Batavia residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
10 places in Batavia on the National Register of Historic Places.
23 notable people were born in Batavia.
City in the United States
Batavia (Seneca: Ji:nyödahsesgeh ) is a city in and the county seat of Genesee County, New York, United States. It is located near the center of the county, surrounded by the Town of Batavia, which is a separate municipality. Batavia's population, as of the 2020 census, was 15,600. It is considered to be part of the Rochester–Batavia–Seneca Falls combined statistical area. Its name comes from the Batavian Republic (1795–1806), a republican government of the Netherlands and home of the investors of the Holland Land Company. In 2006, a national magazine, Site Selection, ranked Batavia third among the nation's micropolitans, based on economic development. The New York State Thruway (Interstate…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Batavia grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #483 of 745 in New York. It grades B for health, C− for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
23 notable people were born here, including John Gardner and Emory Upton.
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