Huntley's Drugs, 1976
Cairo’s story
223 years in pictures
Census counts: 2,353 in 1820, a low of 1,487 in 1920, 6,644 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1976.
- 1803Cairo is settled
CairoNY
Population
6,661
2025 Census estimate · −0.3% since 2020
Median home value
$263K
Census ACS
Household income
$80K
median
Median age
44.2
years
Jobs based here
1,234
A commuter town
TownGrade
C+
#493 of 745 in NY
What should you know before moving to Cairo?
Cairo's standout: it reports less crime per resident than 95% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades C+, ranked 493rd of 745 in New York. Its weakest subject is schools: its public schools trail 84% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. 16% of the land in Cairo is conserved, where New York’s towns sit at 5.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. The biggest place to walk is Windham-Blackhead Range Wilderness, 5,631 acres with 13 miles of trail. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 86% of U.S. towns.
What makes Cairo stand out
Where Cairo beats most towns.
A commuter town
89% of working residents leave Cairo for work
Where Cairo’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,234jobs based in Cairo
11%of working residents work in town
21 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Cairo grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Cairo is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for safety (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D for walkability (better than 15%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.
SafetyA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.5 of 20; 4.8% of households have no car; 0.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →SchoolsC−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $263K, 3.4 years of the county’s $78K median household incomeCOpen →Jobs & income$80K median household incomeBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 49% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →HealthColumbia Memorial Hospital 12.7 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsB+Open →History8 notable people born hereB−Open →Civic life2.8 library visits per resident; 5.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Cairo: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cairo, and how to reach them.
PowerCentral Hudson Gas & Elec27.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCairo Water District1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Cairo’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereGreene County Board of ElectionsGreene County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes12413, 12473, 12451, 1247012413 39% · 12473 14% · 12451 12% · 12470 10%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Cairo.
OutdoorsB+
Protected land: 15.6% of Cairo
For Cairo, the trail network density is 0.8 miles per square mile. Across 4 parks and preserves: 47 miles of trail. Parks and preserves locally: 4, covering 5,725 acres.
#172for trails in NY
15.6%
conserved · 5,963 of 38,222 acres
47 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Windham-Blackhead Range Wilderness | 13 mi | 5,631 |
| 2. Dutcher Notch Primitive Bicycle Corridor | 1.4 mi | 19 |
| 3. Angelo Canna Town Park | 0.5 mi | 28 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsC−
Cairo earns a C− for schools
Its one school is below. 432 students attend Cairo’s public school.
16%of NY districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo-Durham Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 432 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
SafetyA+
Cairo earns an A+ for safety
Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
The property offense rate in Cairo is 2.9 per 1,000 residents. The town recorded no violent offenses.
95%of U.S. towns report more crimeA+Safety Grade
| Cairo | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Cairo0
New York3.7
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Cairo2.9
New York15.7
U.S.15.5
95th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
89th
percentile among NY towns
0
violent crimes reported in 2025
19
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Cairo has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Cairo’s average trip to work stands at 29 minutes, above both New York’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Commuting out is the norm locally: just over a tenth of working residents work locally. Also worth knowing: it had 1,234 jobs in 2023, up 223 from 2013. Half commute less than 21 miles.
11%work in town
| Cairo | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Cairo11%
Catskill14%
New York9%
Albany6%
Hudson4%
21 mi
median commute distance
1,234
jobs based in Cairo
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 14% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Cairo
In July, afternoons reach 84°; in January, nights fall to 15°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
31″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–37°
Spring36–59°
Summer58–82°
Fall41–62°
Oct 14
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB−
On CDC estimates, Cairo is healthier than 51% of U.S. towns
In Cairo, 39% of adults sleep under 7 hours. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Cairo is ahead of New York on 3 and behind on 8.
51%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Cairo | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 81% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
32 measures vs. New York
3 better21 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Cairo | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.1% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.7% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.4% | 6% |
Columbia Memorial Hospital
12.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
28th
percentile among NY towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Moderate risk in Cairo, with inland flooding at the top
Since 1980, 31 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cairo. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in just over half of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Cairo households in 9 declared disasters; the latest was in 2017. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 75% come from inland flooding and 10% from hurricanes.
49risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesTornadoes
31
paid flood claims since 1980
9
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Nearby attractions
All 88 attractions →Olana State Historic Site and 54 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cairo. Close and well known come first.
11 mi MuseumOlana State Historic Site
8 mi WaterfallKaaterskill Falls
37 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
34 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year
36 mi TheatreTanglewood
12 mi Ski areaHunter Mountain62 runs · 1,532 ft verticalSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Olana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kaaterskill Falls: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hunter Mountain: The original uploader was Daniel Case at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
,_Tanglewood,_Lenox,_Massachusetts.JPG){kind=link}
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Cairo
20pages on Cairo
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Cairo
About 4 of every 100 Cairo residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Famous people from Cairo
8 notable people were born in Cairo.
J
Jennifer ConnellyAmerican actress · born 1970
D
David P. BrewsterAmerican politician · 1801–1876
About Cairo
Town in New York, United States
Cairo is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 6,644 at the 2020 census. It is the third largest town in the county. The town is in the southern part of the county, partly in the Catskill Park. The town contains a hamlet, also named Cairo.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1803
- Area
- 60 sq mi
- Elevation
- 387 ft
- Area code
- 518
Cairo’s neighbors
8 towns share a border with Cairo.
AthensWindhamJewettCoxsackieGreenvilleCatskillDurhamHunterCairo
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo | #493 | C+ | C | A+ | C− | B− |
| Athens | #642 | C− | C− | — | C | B |
| Windham | — | — | B | A+ | B+ | B+ |
| Jewett | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coxsackie | #586 | C | C+ | — | C | B |
| Greenville | #361 | B− | C | — | C | A− |
| Catskill | #629 | C− | C | — | C | B− |
| Durham | #237 | B+ | B | A+ | C− | B+ |
Windham has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Athens, Coxsackie, Greenville and Catskill report no FBI crime data of their own. Jewett isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cairo with a neighbor →
Questions about Cairo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Cairo, NY a good place to live?
Cairo grades C+ overall, better than 36% of U.S. towns and #493 of 745 in New York. It grades B− for health, A+ for safety and C− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Cairo, NY expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
What is Cairo, NY known for?
8 notable people were born here, including Jennifer Connelly and Thurlow Weed.