Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Chili grades A− overall, 171st among New York's 745 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 85% of the country and the median household earns $90K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $206K, 2.7 years of the Rochester metro’s $76K median household income. Chili is home to Roberts Wesleyan University. 40% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Chili, where New York’s towns sit at 32% and U.S. towns at 29%. The biggest place to walk is Black Creek Park, 1,376 acres with 16.9 miles of trail.
Where Chili beats most towns.
2 colleges in town.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Chili is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,010 in 1830, 29,123 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2000 and 5 maps from 1899 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chili. Close and well known come first.
10 mi MuseumGeorge Eastman Museum
8 mi Stadium & arenaBlue Cross Arena34 mi Theme parkSix Flags Darien Lake1.5M visitors a year
9 mi MuseumThe National Museum of Play
33 mi State parkLetchworth State Park
27 mi MountainCumorahGeorge Eastman Museum: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Blue Cross Arena: Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers), CC BY-SA 3.0 · The National Museum of Play: Misc, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Letchworth State Park: Suandsoe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chili, 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 Chili.
Chili gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, has less food insecurity than most of New York and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
30 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The trail density in Chili is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Chili | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 10% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Black Creek Park | 16.9 mi | 1,376 |
| 2. Genesee Valley Greenway State Park | 1.3 mi | 95 |
| 3. Union Station Park | 1.2 mi | 60 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Gates Chili Central School District. One of its 4 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chestnut Ridge Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 569 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 23 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chili.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 10.1% of its 13,401 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
19% of Chili adults binge drink. Chili beats the New York average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 30% of Chili adults have obesity.
| Chili | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Chili | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.1% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.7% | 7.9% |
| More adults with depression | 22.4% | 17.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 14,296 working residents takes 21.4 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Chili for work: only 6% work in town. Chili’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. Jobs based in Chili grew to 7,558 in 2023, 850 more than in 2013.
| Chili | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.1% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.8% | 10% | 8% |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Rochester Gtr Intl Ap weather station records that 102 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Chili has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81° and January nights drop to 18°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the New York average.
| Chili | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.9 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.9 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Chili | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.1% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.3% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.8% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.5% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.4% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.2% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.8% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.1% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.1% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.4% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.2% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.9% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
13 within 15 miles of the center of Chili
About 5 of every 100 Chili residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Chili’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in New York, United States
Chili ( CHY-ly) is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 29,123 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of the city of Rochester, established in 1822 from part of the town of Riga. North Chili was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Black Creek Park is one of many parks in Chili where visitors can make use of nature trails that run along the creek.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Chili.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Chili grades A− overall, better than 79% of U.S. towns and #171 of 745 in New York. It grades A− for health and B for schools.
The typical home is worth about $206,000, 61% 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.
2 notable people were born here, including Edward S. Lacey and Bruce Turgon.
