Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cortland earns a D, 678th among New York's 745 graded towns, mostly because of safety and schools. Its police reported 41 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 84% of U.S. towns. Its public schools trail 78% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 11 places on the National Register. Cortland’s property crime rate is 27.7 per 1,000 residents, where New York’s towns sit at 7.5 and U.S. towns at 9.9. On civic life, just 28 of New York’s 1,187 towns do better. Cortland is home to State University of New York at Cortland.
Where Cortland beats most towns.
Cortland Fire Headquarters
Census counts: 3,066 in 1870, 17,556 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1894 and 3 maps from 1903 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Cortland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cortland, 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 Cortland.
Cortland is shaped by its college students, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Cortlandville and other neighbors.
4.0 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Cortland’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile.
| Cortland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Beaudry Park | 0.3 mi | 11 |
| 2. Sugget Park | 0.2 mi | 17 |
| 3. Yaman Park | — | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Cortland City School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Cortland High School, with 582 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklyn S Barry Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 417 | – |
| Cortland High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 582 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The typical Cortland home is worth about $211,000, up 5.6% in a year, 60% below the New York typical home. 46% of households own their home in Cortland.
| Cortland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $975 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 572 to 524 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Cortland is 2.4 per 1,000 residents. Cortland reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 84% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Cortland has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 15° and about 63 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Cortland has about as many jobs (6,847) as working residents, but only 1,393 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 16.8 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
About one in 4 of Cortland’s working residents works in town. 21% of Cortland residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Cortland has lost 1,130 jobs, to 6,847 in 2023.
| Cortland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
116 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 21 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 116 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cortland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 8,775 U.S. towns with household incomes like Cortland’s, it is healthier than 80%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Cortland beats the New York average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10.
| Cortland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Cortland | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.7% | 11.5% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 33.2% | 37.7% |
| More adults with depression | 24.1% | 17.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cortland. Close and well known come first.
30 mi Stadium & arenaJMA Wireless Dome
37 mi LakeSeneca Lake
27 mi LakeCayuga Lake
22 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
34 mi LakeOnondaga Lake
39 mi State parkWatkins Glen State ParkJMA Wireless Dome: Jimhoward03, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Seneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Taughannock Falls State Park: Michael C. Rygel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Onondaga Lake: R. A. Nonenmacher, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Watkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Cortland
College town 24 of every 100 Cortland residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
11 places in Cortland on the National Register of Historic Places.
26 notable people were born in Cortland.
City in New York, United States
Cortland is a city and the county seat of Cortland County, New York, United States. Known as the Crown City, Cortland is in New York's Southern Tier region. As of 2024, the estimated population of Cortland, New York, is 17,196, reflecting a decline of approximately 1.82% since the 2020 census, which recorded 17,515 residents. The city of Cortland, near the county's western border, is surrounded by the town of Cortlandville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Cortland.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cortland | #678 | D | C+ | C− | C− | B− |
| Munsons Corners | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cortland West | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Munsons Corners and Cortland West aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cortland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cortland grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #678 of 745 in New York. It grades B− for health, C− for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($70,418 across the Cortland, NY area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
26 notable people were born here, including Alton B. Parker and David Eugene Smith.
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