Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Chatham grades B− overall, ranked 426th of 745 in New York, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 87% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $358K for a typical one and 4.4 times the Hudson area’s $82K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 12 places on the National Register. 31% of residents are 65 or older in Chatham, against 20% in New York’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Spengler Bridge and Knollcroft. Only 112 of New York’s 1,187 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Chatham beats most towns.
Census counts: 3,372 in 1820, 4,104 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1873 and 5 maps from 1903 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Chatham is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chatham. Close and well known come first.
26 mi MountainMount Greylock
15 mi TheatreTanglewood
16 mi MuseumNorman Rockwell Museum
19 mi MuseumOlana State Historic Site
17 mi MuseumUSS Slater
27 mi MuseumClark Art InstituteMount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Norman Rockwell Museum: User:Rmrfstar, CC BY 2.5 · Olana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS Slater: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Clark Art Institute: Daderot, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chatham, 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 Chatham.
10% of adults smoke cigarettes in Chatham. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Chatham is ahead of New York on 14 and behind on 4. Among adults locally, 29% feel lonely and 19% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Chatham | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 37% | 36% |
| What stands out | Chatham | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.7% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.6% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most people who work leave Chatham to do it: just 9% work in town. The share of workers in Chatham who work from home: 19%. Half the trips to work are shorter than 20 miles. The typical household income for Chatham comes to $107,000.
| Chatham | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 19% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $107,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Chatham’s age of the median resident stands at 52.8 years. It is shrinking: down 2.3% since 2020, to 4,009 residents (2025 estimate). 49% of Chatham adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Chatham | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 52.8 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 49% | 32% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 17% | 20% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Chatham | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.3% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.3% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.5% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17.4% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.1% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.5% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.2% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.8% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.7% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.5% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.9% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 26.1% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,000, single groups can be off by several points
The Copake weather station, 22 miles away, records that about 13 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 75% of New York places with climate records.
In July, afternoons reach 82°; in January, nights fall to 15°, and about 50 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Walkers can cover 7.6 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Ooms Conservation Area, at 180 acres with 3.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Chatham’s concentration of trails comes in at 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Chatham | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.3% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ooms Conservation Area | 3.4 mi | 180 |
| 2. Freund Preserve | — | 60 |
| 3. Crellin Community Park | — | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Of the losses FEMA expects in Chatham, 77% come from inland flooding and 7% from tornadoes. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Chatham households in 10 declared disasters; the latest was in 2017.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Chatham
About 2 of every 100 Chatham residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Chatham’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
12 places in Chatham on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Chatham.
Town in New York, United States
Chatham is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 4,104 at the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 4,128 in 2010. The town has a village also called Chatham on its southern town line. The town is at the northern border of Columbia County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Chatham.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham | #426 | B− | C | — | C+ | A |
| Kinderhook | #331 | B | C | — | B+ | A− |
| Canaan | — | — | D | — | C+ | A |
| Nassau | #226 | B+ | C+ | — | A− | A |
| New Lebanon | — | — | B− | — | B− | A− |
| Ghent | #530 | C | C− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Austerlitz | — | — | C− | — | C+ | A |
Canaan, New Lebanon and Austerlitz have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Chatham, Kinderhook, Canaan, Nassau, New Lebanon, Ghent and Austerlitz report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Chatham with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Chatham grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #426 of 745 in New York. It grades A for health and C+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
11 notable people were born here, including Amos Eaton and Kristine DeBell.
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