Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
36% of residents live below the poverty line in Denning, where New York’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 5 of the 759 New York towns we compare have a lower July high than Denning. 68% of the land in Denning is conserved, where New York’s towns sit at 5.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Slide Mountain Wilderness, at 15,182 acres with 15.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Denning has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Denning beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 447 in 1850, a low of 215 in 1960, 493 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 4 maps from 1905 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Denning, 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 Denning.
69 miles of trail in 14 parks and preserves. Denning’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sundown Wild Forest | 18.6 mi | 11,625 |
| 2. Slide Mountain Wilderness | 15.2 mi | 15,182 |
| 3. Big Indian Wilderness | 11.4 mi | 14,541 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Adults 35 to 64 are 56% of residents (39% statewide); children under 18 are 14% of residents (21% statewide). The median age in Denning is 50.2 years. 39% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.
| Denning | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 50.2 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 32% | 29% |
Somewhere between 25% and 51% women
The Census survey reached too few of Denning’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±13.1 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Denning | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.2% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.3% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.2% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.9% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.3% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.7% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 31.5% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.2% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.4% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.6% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 11.7% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.6% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.3% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.4% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 500, single groups can be off by several points
Denning has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 76°, January nights drop to 13° and about 105 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Denning.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Denning for work: only 10% work in town. 18% of workers work from home in Denning. The top destinations are New York (8%), Shandaken (8%) and Rockland (5%).
| Denning | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 18% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Denning beats the New York average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 29% of Denning adults feel lonely.
| Denning | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Denning | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11% | 17.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Denning. Close and well known come first.
30 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
9 mi Park & preserveCatskill Park
30 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year19 mi Park & preserveMinnewaska State Park Preserve
27 mi WaterfallKaaterskill Falls
38 mi MuseumOlana State Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Catskill Park: The original uploader was Daniel Case at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Kaaterskill Falls: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Olana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Denning; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Denning residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
67.6% of the town is conserved land, across 14 parks and preserves.
Town in New York, United States
Denning is an isolated town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 493 at the 2020 census. The town is named after an early landowner, William Denning. Denning is located in the western part of the county, deep inside the Catskill Mountains. The location of the town in the Catskill State Park accounts in part for its low population.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Denning has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
