Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Charlton grades A− overall, ranked 164th of 745 in New York, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $107K and it is healthier than 80% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on schools: its public schools beat 77% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. A typical home there costs about $340K, 3.9 years of the Albany metro’s $88K median household income. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 93% of U.S. towns. Charlton has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Charlton Historic District and West Charlton United Presbyterian Church. Among 758 New York towns, just 8 have a higher share of households owning their home than Charlton.
Where Charlton beats most towns.
Where Charlton’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 Charlton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,746 in 1800, a low of 914 in 1920, 4,328 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2016 and 5 maps from 1893 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Charlton. Close and well known come first.
35 mi LandmarkFort William Henry
14 mi MuseumNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
31 mi Theme parkGreat Escape
21 mi State parkGrant Cottage State Historic Site
12 mi TheatreSaratoga Performing Arts Center
25 mi Stadium & arenaMVP ArenaFort William Henry: IrisKawling at en.wikipedia, Public domain · National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame: Peter Flass, CC BY 3.0 · Great Escape: Jared and Corin, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Grant Cottage State Historic Site: Coingeek at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Saratoga Performing Arts Center: UpstateNYer., CC BY-SA 3.0 · MVP Arena: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Charlton, 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 Charlton.
Charlton has better schools than Ballston or any other neighbor and sends most of its workers to Schenectady and beyond.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 85% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Charlton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its A− is the best School Grade on its borders; Ballston (B+) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlton Heights Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 498 | B+ |
| Ketchum-Grande School of the Charlton School. PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 37 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
15% of adults report frequent mental distress in Charlton, against 16% in New York’s towns and 17% across U.S. towns. Charlton beats the New York average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 20% of Charlton adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Charlton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Charlton | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.6% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.4% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Charlton has 453 jobs for its 1,930 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Charlton for work: only 4% work in town. Charlton’s average trip to work is 31 minutes, above both New York’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Since 2013, Charlton has added 66 jobs, to 453 in 2023.
| Charlton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $107,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.2% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Charlton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 13° and about 64 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.5 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Corbin Nature Reserve, at 106 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Corbin Nature Reserve | — | 106 |
| 2. Elmer Smith Park | — | 14 |
| 3. Consaulis Vly County Forest | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median rent in Charlton is $1,390 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5 within 15 miles of the center of Charlton
About 3 of every 100 Charlton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
6 notable people were born in Charlton.
Town in New York, United States
Charlton is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 4,328 at the 2020 census. The Town of Charlton is located in the southwestern part of the county and is north of Schenectady. The town is home to the Charlton Historic District, which is home to many historic buildings.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Charlton.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Charlton grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #164 of 745 in New York. It grades A− for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
The typical home is worth about $340,000, 35% 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+.
6 notable people were born here, including John W. Taylor and William G. Donnan.
