Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A good place to live, if you can afford it. Carmel ranks 79th of 745 in New York, with an A overall. On that grade it does better than 91% of U.S. towns. Its standout strength is safety — it reports less crime per resident than 93% of U.S. towns. Health is another plus — it is healthier than 92% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is cost of living (D) — the typical home is worth about $495K, 5 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. The town has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Putnam County Courthouse and Reed Memorial Library. Carmel’s typical journey to work is 41 minutes, against 25 minutes in New York’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
Figures: FBI crime data, 2025 · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Carmel beats most towns.
Putnam County Courthouse
Census counts: 33,006 in 2000, 33,576 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1766 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Carmel is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Carmel. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
Big draw40 mi Stadium & arenaYankee Stadium
Big draw38 mi MuseumThe Cloisters
26 mi LandmarkFerncliff Cemetery
27 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
38 mi Zoo & aquariumBronx ZooUnited States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · Yankee Stadium: Matt Boulton, CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Cloisters: Paweł Drozd on Wiki Drozdpl cropped by Beyond My Ken (talk) 17:05, 27 December 2, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ferncliff Cemetery: Anthony22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bronx Zoo: Stavenn, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carmel, 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 Carmel.
Carmel has less food insecurity than most of New York and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of New York; it also has commutes longer than most of New York.
Violent crime is rare: 14 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
Carmel’s property crime rate is 3.1 per 1,000 residents. Its rate of reported violence is 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Carmel | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 7.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Three of its 9 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The Mahopac Central School District runs its public schools. 4 public schools serve Carmel, with 2,581 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeview Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 598 | C |
| Carmel High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,299 | A |
| Mahopac High SchoolTop results in townGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 1,255 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 9.8% of its 19,926 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
The share of adults in Carmel who report frequent physical distress: 12%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Carmel is ahead of New York on 13 and behind on 1. Among adults locally, 18% have been diagnosed with depression and 14% report frequent mental distress.
| Carmel | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 21% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Carmel | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.8% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.2% | 8.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.2% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Carmel’s natural-hazard score from FEMA stands at 8 of 100. Paid flood insurance claims locally since 1978: 77. Expected losses in Carmel break down as 61% from inland flooding and 8% from hurricanes.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
16 miles of trail wind through 16 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lockwood Unit, at 483 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lockwood Unit | — | 483 |
| 2. Dixon Unit | — | 237 |
| 3. West Branch Outlet Unit | — | 166 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 15,308 working residents takes 41.2 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Half the trips to work are shorter than 24 miles. Since 2013, Carmel has added 928 jobs, to 8,470 in 2023. In Carmel, the typical household income is $132,000. The top destinations are New York (25%), Yorktown (5%) and Mount Pleasant (4%).
| Carmel | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 41 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $132,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.4% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Yorktown Hts 1w weather station, 9 miles away, records that 40 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 75% of New York places with climate records.
July afternoons reach 83° and January nights drop to 18°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median household earns $131,835, against $85,974 across New York, one input to its A− for jobs and income.
Carmel’s midpoint age comes in at 44.3 years. Every broad age group is within 4 points of the New York average. Also worth knowing: in Carmel, 43% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. It is growing: up 2.5% since 2020, to 34,442 residents (2025 estimate).
| Carmel | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 44.3 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.1 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 46.1, men 42.2.
| Carmel | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.4% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.8% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.3% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.5% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.2% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.1% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.1% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.8% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.3% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.4% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.5% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.9% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
68.1% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 52.1% across New York.
Homes sold in Carmel spent a median 29 days on the market. The rent at the middle of the market for Carmel comes to $1,683 a month. For households locally, the share who own their home is 85%.
| Carmel | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,683 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 85% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4 within 15 miles of the center of Carmel
About 7 of every 100 Carmel residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
Where Carmel’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Carmel on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in Carmel.
Town in New York, United States
Carmel (pronounced ) is a town in and the county seat of Putnam County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the town had a population of 33,576. The Town of Carmel is on the southern border of Putnam County, abutting Westchester County, approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City and 10 miles (16 km) west of Danbury, Connecticut. It has no incorporated villages, although the hamlets of Carmel and Mahopac each have populations sizable enough to be considered villages.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Carmel.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Somers (A) comes closest.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmel | #79 | A | D | A | B+ | A |
| Putnam Valley | #125 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| Southeast | #332 | B | D | — | C+ | A |
| Kent | #141 | A− | D | A | B− | A |
| Somers | #83 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| Mahopac | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lake Carmel | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Putnam Valley, Southeast and Somers report no FBI crime data of their own. Mahopac and Lake Carmel aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Carmel with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Carmel grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #79 of 745 in New York. It grades A for health, A for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $495,000, 6% 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 D.
16 notable people were born here, including Ryan Kelly and Julia Nesheiwat.
