Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Caroline grades C overall, 510th of 745 graded towns in New York, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it has 31 miles of trail. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 78% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 23% of the land in Caroline is conserved, above both New York’s towns (5.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Shindagin Hollow State Forest, 4,817 acres with 13.3 miles of trail. On civic life, just 92 of New York’s 1,187 towns do better.
Where Caroline beats most towns.
Where Caroline’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Caroline is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,608 in 1820, a low of 1,542 in 1920, 3,282 in 2010. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and a map from 1900 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Caroline, 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 Caroline.
Caroline has less no health insurance than most of New York and sends most of its workers to Ithaca and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
Its widest gap with New York is no health insurance: 4.3% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 7.9% statewide. Its A for health tops all 5 graded neighbors; Dryden (A−) comes closest.
28% of Caroline adults have obesity, against 33% in New York’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 19% of adults get no exercise outside work in Caroline. Caroline beats the New York average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Caroline | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 25% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Caroline | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.3% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.4% | 17.2% |
| More adults with depression | 22.2% | 17.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Ithaca City School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 273 | C+ |
| Maccormick Secure CenterLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 22 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shindagin Hollow State Forest | 13.3 mi | 4,817 |
| 2. Hammond Hill State Forest | 2.1 mi | 1,125 |
| 3. Potato Hill State Forest | 2 mi | 874 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Caroline has 330 jobs for its 1,398 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 518 in 2013 to 330.
Most working residents leave Caroline for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Caroline fell to 330 in 2023, 188 fewer than in 2013. 15% of Caroline residents live below the poverty line.
| Caroline | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of New York towns, with expected losses of about $435 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1981, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Caroline.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Caroline has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Caroline is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Caroline’s median rent is $1,398 a month.
| Caroline | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 66% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,398 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Caroline. Close and well known come first.
35 mi LakeSeneca Lake
30 mi LakeCayuga Lake
27 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
9 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf Field
19 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
10 mi MuseumHerbert F. Johnson Museum of Art80K visitors a yearSeneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Watkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0 · Schoellkopf Field: Alex Sergeev, (www.asergeev.com) Originally uploaded by en:User:Cornell010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Taughannock Falls State Park: Michael C. Rygel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Caroline
About 4 of every 100 Caroline residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
4 places in Caroline on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Caroline.
Town in New York, United States
Caroline is a town in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 3,282 at the 2010 census. It is on the county's southeast border, southeast of Ithaca.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Caroline.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline | #510 | C | C− | — | B | A |
| Richford | — | — | A− | — | C | B |
| Berkshire | — | — | B− | — | C | B |
| Danby | #339 | B | C+ | — | B | A− |
| Dryden | #630 | C− | C | — | C− | A− |
| Candor | #667 | D | B | — | C+ | C+ |
Richford and Berkshire have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Caroline, Richford, Berkshire, Danby, Dryden and Candor report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Caroline with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Caroline grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #510 of 745 in New York. It grades A for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $234,000, 55% 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 C−.
3 notable people were born here, including Austin Blair and Alonzo W. Adams.
