Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Black Brook’s subject grades are an A for the outdoors and an A− for history; the weakest is a D for walkability. 36% of residents are 65 or older in Black Brook, where New York’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 18%. On walkability, just 120 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse. Black Brook's schools rank behind 69% of the state's. 47% of the land in Black Brook is conserved, above both the New York town median (5.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Taylor Pond Wild Forest, at 18,048 acres with 25.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Only 93 of New York’s 1,216 towns score higher on the outdoors. Black Brook has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Black Brook beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Black Brook is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,064 in 1840, a peak of 3,561 in 1870, 1,453 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 4 maps from 1895 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Black Brook, 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 Black Brook.
174 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The trail density in Black Brook is 1.3 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Taylor Pond Wild Forest | 25.9 mi | 18,048 |
| 2. Wilmington Wild Forest | 2 mi | 4,582 |
| 3. Chazy Highlands Wild Forest | — | 315 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1.4% of Black Brook working residents work locally. Jobs based in Black Brook grew to 111 in 2023, 29 more than in 2013. Black Brook’s average trip to work is 32 minutes.
| Black Brook | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Only 7 of the 759 New York towns we compare have a lower July high than Black Brook. Black Brook has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Black Brook beats the New York average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 34% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Black Brook.
| Black Brook | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 37% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 21% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Black Brook | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.2% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.6% | 17.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.1% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Black Brook.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Black Brook. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi LakeLake Champlain
29 mi MountainMount Marcy
12 mi MountainWhiteface Mountain
29 mi LakeLake Tear of the Clouds
18 mi Canyon & gorgeAusable Chasm
20 mi LandmarkJohn Brown Farm State Historic SiteLake 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 · Lake Tear of the Clouds: TheKilimanjaro, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ausable Chasm: Alan Prusila / Alanp35 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · John Brown Farm State Historic Site: Mwanner | Talk, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Black Brook; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Black Brook residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
46.9% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Town in New York, United States
Black Brook is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 1,497 at the 2010 census. It is named after a stream that flows through the town. Black Brook occupies the southwestern corner of Clinton County and is southwest of Plattsburgh. Black Brook is inside the Adirondack Park.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
The typical home is worth about $202,000, 61% 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.
