Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Champion is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 650th of 745 graded towns in New York, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools outperform 49% of the state's. Expect to pay for it: the typical home is worth about $199K, 3 years of the Watertown metro’s $66K median household income. 19% of residents live below the poverty line in Champion, above both New York’s towns (9.5%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Hiram Hubbard House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Champion beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Champion is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,080 in 1820, 4,494 in 2010. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1864 and 2 maps from 1902 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Champion, 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 Champion.
Champion gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Champion.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Carthage Central School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Carthage Senior High School, with 887 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carthage Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 925 | C− |
| Carthage Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 887 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The Hooker 12 Nnw weather station, 8 miles away, records that 228 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 100% of U.S. towns.
Champion has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Champion is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,405 working residents takes 20.2 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Champion for work: only 12% work in town. Champion’s average trip to work is 20 minutes. The top destinations are Watertown (18%), Wilna (10%) and Le Ray (6%).
| Champion | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 7,980 U.S. towns with household incomes like Champion’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Champion beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 41% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Champion.
| Champion | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Champion | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 16% | 11.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.3% | 6% |
| More adults with obesity | 39.2% | 28.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Champion | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Long Falls Hydroelectric Project Recreation Area | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Champion
About 3 of every 100 Champion residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
4 notable people were born in Champion.
Town in New York, United States
Champion is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 4,494 at the 2010 census. The town is named after General Henry Champion, early owner. The town is on the eastern edge of the county and is east of Watertown.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Champion.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Le Ray (C−) is closest.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | #650 | C− | C | — | B− | C+ |
| Wilna | — | — | B | — | B− | — |
| Fort Drum | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Le Ray | #622 | C− | C− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Great Bend | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Carthage | #465 | C+ | B− | A− | B− | C+ |
| Denmark | #557 | C | C+ | — | B | C+ |
| Deferiet | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Champion, Wilna, Le Ray and Denmark report no FBI crime data of their own. Wilna, Fort Drum, Great Bend and Deferiet aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Champion with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Champion grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #650 of 745 in New York. It grades C+ for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
Champion was established in 1800 and has 1 place on the National Register of Historic Places. 4 notable people were born here, including George E. Spencer and Ellen Alida Rose.
