Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Binghamton earns a D−, ranked 739th of 745 in New York, mostly because of schools and safety. Its public schools trail 94% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. Its police reported 256 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 93% of U.S. towns. In its favor, it is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 35 places on the National Register. 33% of residents live below the poverty line in Binghamton, where New York’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Its National Register listings include New York State Inebriate Asylum and Binghamton City Hall. On incomes, just 113 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse.
Where Binghamton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
New York State Inebriate Asylum
Bridget Moynahan| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Franklin Elementary School | PK–5 | 403 |
| Macarthur School | PK–5 | 399 |
| Woodrow Wilson School | PK–5 | 355 |
New York State Inebriate Asylum is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its 35 National Register listings are more than in 95% of New York towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,203 in 1830, a peak of 80,674 in 1950, 47,969 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 4 maps from 1904 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Binghamton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Binghamton, 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 Binghamton.
Binghamton gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the New York rate.
The typical Binghamton home is worth about $191,000, up 4.8% in a year, 64% below the New York typical home. 44% of Binghamton households own their home.
| Binghamton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 44% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $870 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 51% | 49% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Each of its 7 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, Vestal highest at A−.
Its public schools are run by the Binghamton City School District. Two of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 542 | C− |
| Binghamton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,262 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Property crime runs at 31.6 per 1,000 residents, about twice the New York rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 1,970 to 1,725 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Binghamton is 31.6 per 1,000 residents. Binghamton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 93% report less. The violent crime rate in Binghamton is 5.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Binghamton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 31.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 4,215 U.S. towns with household incomes like Binghamton’s, it is healthier than 72%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. All 7 graded neighbors score healthier than its C, from Dickinson (C+) to Vestal (A−).
Binghamton beats the New York average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 37% of adults feel lonely in Binghamton.
| Binghamton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 32% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 17% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Binghamton | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 33.5% | 37.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23% | 12.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.8 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Ross Park Zoo, at 66 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. MacArthur Park | 0.7 mi | 17 |
| 2. Ross Park Zoo | — | 66 |
| 3. Recreation Park | 0.1 mi | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
32.6% of residents live below the poverty line, against 14% across New York, which weighs on its D for jobs and income. The median household earns $45,578, against $85,974 across New York.
Adults 18 to 34 are 32% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (39% statewide). Binghamton’s median age is 35.9 years. Binghamton has lost 3.1% of its people since 2020, down to 46,418 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Binghamton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.9 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 17% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 20% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.5 points). Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.5, men 33.2.
| Binghamton | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.6% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.3% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 18.6% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.7% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.7% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.3% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.8% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.2% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.4% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.7% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The Binghamton weather station, 8 miles away, records that 87 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Binghamton has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83° and January nights drop to 16°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 15,885 working residents takes 19 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Since 2013, Binghamton has lost 5,824 jobs, to 23,575 in 2023. About one in 3 of Binghamton’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Union (13%), Vestal (8%) and Dickinson (7%).
| Binghamton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 29% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 9.3% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
281 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 47 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 281 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Binghamton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Binghamton. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaBroome County Veterans Memorial Arena
38 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf Field
38 mi MuseumHerbert F. Johnson Museum of Art80K visitors a year30 mi Ski areaGreek Peak Mountain Resort43 runs · 828 ft vertical3 mi Zoo & aquariumBinghamton Zoo at Ross Park32 mi Ski areaElk Mountain Ski Resort28 runs · 908 ft verticalBroome County Veterans Memorial Arena: Bmoore2009 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Schoellkopf Field: Alex Sergeev, (www.asergeev.com) Originally uploaded by en:User:Cornell010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Binghamton
About 13 of every 100 Binghamton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
35 places in Binghamton on the National Register of Historic Places.
67 notable people were born in Binghamton.
City in New York, United States
Binghamton ( BING-əm-tən) is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers. The population was 47,969 at the 2020 census. Binghamton is the principal city of the Binghamton metropolitan area (also known as Greater Binghamton, or historically the Triple Cities, including Endicott and Johnson City), home to a quarter million people. From the days of the railroad, Binghamton was a transportation crossroads and a manufacturing center, and has been known at different times fo…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Binghamton.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Johnson City (D) is closest.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binghamton | #739 | D− | C+ | D | D | C |
| Dickinson | #452 | C+ | B | — | C | C+ |
| Binghamton | #524 | C | C− | — | B− | B |
| Johnson City | #718 | D | C | D | C− | B− |
| Union | #535 | C | C+ | — | C | B |
| Port Dickinson | — | — | B | — | B− | A− |
| Conklin | #383 | B− | B | — | B− | B− |
| Kirkwood | #518 | C | C+ | — | B | B− |
Port Dickinson has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Dickinson, Binghamton, Union, Port Dickinson, Conklin and Kirkwood report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Binghamton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Binghamton grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #739 of 745 in New York. It grades C for health, D for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($64,590 across the Binghamton, NY metro 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+.
67 notable people were born here, including Bridget Moynahan and Chris Wedge.
