Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Colden is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 359th among New York's 745 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 77% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $98K. A typical home there costs about $303K, 4.2 years of the Buffalo metro’s $72K median household income. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. Only 77 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on the outdoors.
Where Colden beats most towns.
Where Colden’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 Colden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 464 in 1830, 3,121 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and 3 maps from 1925 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Colden. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaHighmark Stadium
Big draw37 mi WaterfallNiagara Falls
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaRalph Wilson Stadium
7 mi WaterfallEternal Flame Falls
20 mi Stadium & arenaKeyBank Center
20 mi MuseumUSS The SullivansHighmark Stadium: James161723, CC0 · Niagara Falls: Robert F. Tobler, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ralph Wilson Stadium: User Evilarry on en.wikipedia, Public domain · Eternal Flame Falls: Mpmajewski, CC BY-SA 3.0 · KeyBank Center: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS The Sullivans: Unknown, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Colden, 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 Colden.
Colden gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and has less food insecurity than most of New York, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 9.7% of its 2,369 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
29% of Colden adults feel lonely, below both the New York town median (32%) and the median of U.S. towns (33%). 84% of adults had a checkup this year in Colden. Colden beats the New York average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
| Colden | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 81% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Colden | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.7% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.5% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Springville-Griffith Institute Central School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colden Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 213 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Colden has 262 jobs for its 1,559 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 26.4 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Colden for work: only 5% work in town. Since 2013, Colden has added 72 jobs, to 262 in 2023. The top destinations are Buffalo (17%), Aurora (8%) and Orchard Park (8%).
| Colden | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $98,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.9% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In the comparison, Colden comes against 5.2% in New York’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. 7.3 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Colden | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Walter Kummer Park | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Wales weather station, 7 miles away, records that 109 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. The Wales weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 1 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Colden has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Colden’s July high is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 23% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide). The median age in Colden is 49.3 years. 41% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.
| Colden | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.3 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 32% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Colden | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.1% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.1% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.2% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.8% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.9% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.3% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.1% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.9% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.5% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.4% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29.7% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.3% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,200, single groups can be off by several points
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 82% of New York towns, with expected losses of about $372 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1979, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Colden.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
89% of Colden households own their home.
| Colden | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 89% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $943 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Colden
About 4 of every 100 Colden residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Town in New York, United States
Colden is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 3,121 at the 2020 census. The town derives its name from Cadwallader D. Colden, a state senator. Colden is an interior town in the southeastern part of the county. It is one of the "Southtowns" of Erie County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Colden.
Aurora next door grades higher for schools (A− to Colden’s B−) and lower for cost of living (C− to B−).
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colden | #359 | B− | B− | — | B− | A− |
| Concord | #301 | B | B− | — | B | B+ |
| Aurora | #95 | A | C− | — | A− | A |
| Boston | #333 | B | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Holland | #443 | C+ | C+ | — | C+ | B |
| Sardinia | #211 | B+ | A− | — | B− | B+ |
Colden, Concord, Aurora, Boston, Holland and Sardinia report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Colden with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Colden grades B− overall, better than 54% of U.S. towns and #359 of 745 in New York. It grades A− for health and B− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
The typical home is worth about $303,000, 42% 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 B−.
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