Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dansville is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, 460th of 745 graded towns in New York, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: homes are within reach, about $172K for a typical one, or 2.3 years of the Rochester metro’s $76K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its public schools trail 69% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns. Dansville is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 92% of U.S. towns. 21% of working residents work locally in Dansville, where New York’s towns sit at 10% and U.S. towns at 8%. The biggest place to walk is Babcock Park, 43 acres with 1.4 miles of trail.
Where Dansville beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Dansville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,387 in 1870, 4,433 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1823 and 3 maps from 1902 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dansville, 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 Dansville.
Dansville is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and trades workers with North Dansville and other neighbors.
At 2.3 years of the Rochester metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $172K) costs less against local pay than in 81% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. 69% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 52.1% across New York.
The median rent in Dansville is $906 a month. The typical Dansville home is worth about $172,000, up 1.4% in a year, 67% below the New York typical home.
| Dansville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $906 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2.0 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Dansville’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Dansville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.8% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Babcock Park | 1.4 mi | 43 |
| 2. Williams Memorial Park | 0.2 mi | 25 |
| 3. Church Square Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Dansville has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 17° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Dansville has about as many jobs (1,791) as working residents, but only 397 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 26.5 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
About one in 5 of Dansville’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Dansville has lost 123 jobs, to 1,791 in 2023. 6.7% of residents live below the poverty line in Dansville.
| Dansville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $57,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.7% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dansville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 108 to 45 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Against the 8,122 U.S. towns with household incomes like Dansville’s, it is healthier than 81%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
18% of Dansville adults binge drink.
| Dansville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Dansville | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6% |
| More smokers | 15.3% | 11.3% |
| More adults with arthritis | 30.4% | 24% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dansville. Close and well known come first.
15 mi State parkLetchworth State Park
38 mi MountainCumorah19 mi Ski areaBristol Mountain Ski Resort39 runs · 1,138 ft vertical18 mi Museum1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum
31 mi MuseumGenesee Country Village & Museum12 mi Ski areaHunt Hollow Ski Club25 runs · 810 ft verticalLetchworth State Park: Suandsoe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Genesee Country Village & Museum: Stilfehler 17:02, 21 August 2007 (CEST), CC BY-SA 1.0
None within 15 miles of Dansville; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Dansville residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
9 notable people were born in Dansville.
Village in New York, United States
Dansville is a village in the town of North Dansville, with a small northern part in the town of Sparta in Livingston County, in western New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village population was 4,433. The village is named after Daniel Faulkner, an early European-American settler. Interstate 390 passes the west side of the village.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dansville grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #460 of 745 in New York. It grades B− for health, C+ for safety 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 B.
9 notable people were born here, including Edwin Forrest Sweet and Randolph Strickland.
