Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Cayuga Heights grades B+ overall, 241st of 745 graded towns in New York. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $433K for a typical one and 5.8 times the Ithaca metro’s $74K median household income. 81% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Cayuga Heights, against 32% in New York’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Cayuga Heights is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns. Only 24 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on history.
Where Cayuga Heights beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Cayuga Heights | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.7% | 17.2% |
3,729 counted in 2010 and 4,114 in 2020; an estimated 3,860 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 5.6%, after 10.3% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Cayuga Heights is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 179 in 1920, 4,114 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1929 and 5 maps from 1900 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cayuga Heights, 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 Cayuga Heights.
Cayuga Heights is shaped by its college students, has less food insecurity than most of New York and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 7.7% of its 3,627 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
21% of adults have obesity in Cayuga Heights. Cayuga Heights beats the New York average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 26% of adults have high blood pressure in Cayuga Heights.
| Cayuga Heights | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.9% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Cayuga Heights | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.7% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.7% | 8.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 1,381 working residents takes 13.2 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Cayuga Heights’ average trip to work is 13 minutes. Jobs based in Cayuga Heights grew to 784 in 2023, 75 more than in 2013. Cayuga Heights’ median household income is $167,000.
| Cayuga Heights | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $167,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1994, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cayuga Heights.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Cayuga Heights has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 63 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Cayuga Heights's reported crime rate is well below New York's. The property crime rate in Cayuga Heights is 1.3 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Cayuga Heights | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.9 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Only 9 of the 740 New York towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Cayuga Heights.
| Cayuga Heights | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sunset Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
61% of Cayuga Heights households own their home.
| Cayuga Heights | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,700 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cayuga Heights. Close and well known come first.
25 mi LakeSeneca Lake
19 mi LakeCayuga Lake
2 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf Field
8 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
in town MuseumHerbert F. Johnson Museum of Art80K visitors a year
21 mi State parkWatkins Glen State ParkSeneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · 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 · Watkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Cayuga Heights
College town 31 of every 100 Cayuga Heights residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Cayuga Heights’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Village in New York, United States
Cayuga Heights is a village in the Town of Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York, United States, and a suburb of Ithaca, New York. The population was 4,114 at the 2020 census. It is north of Cornell University's main campus and home to many Cornell faculty members, including the university's president.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Cayuga Heights.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Ithaca (B) comes closest.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cayuga Heights | #241 | B+ | D− | — | B | A+ |
| Northeast Ithaca | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lansing | #374 | B− | D− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Ithaca | – | C+ | D− | C− | B | A |
| Ithaca | #314 | B | D− | — | B | A |
| Lansing | #378 | B− | D− | — | A− | A− |
Cayuga Heights, Lansing, Ithaca and Lansing report no FBI crime data of their own. Northeast Ithaca isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cayuga Heights with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Cayuga Heights grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #241 of 745 in New York. It grades A+ for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $433,000, 18% 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−.
