Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Fort Covington’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A− for history; the weakest is a D for incomes. Only 1 of New York’s 1,215 towns score higher on cost of living. Residents are less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On incomes, just 33 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse. Fort Covington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Fort Covington beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Fort Covington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 979 in 1820, a peak of 2,901 in 1830, 1,531 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1876 and a map from 1977 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fort Covington, 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 Fort Covington.
18% of Fort Covington adults report frequent physical distress, where New York’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 14%. 25% of Fort Covington adults say their health is fair or poor. Fort Covington beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20.
| Fort Covington | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 33% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Fort Covington | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.2% | 6% |
| More smokers | 20.3% | 11.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.5% | 12.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Salmon River Central School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Salmon River High School, with 430 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salmon River Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 311 | C− |
| Salmon River High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 430 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Fort Covington has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 80°F, Fort Covington’s July high is against 81°F in New York’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Fort Covington for work: only 15% work in town. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Fort Covington. The top destinations are Malone (28%), Akwesasne (13%) and Massena (4%).
| Fort Covington | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Fort Covington since 2018.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Fort Covington | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Fort Covington’s median rent is $581 a month.
| Fort Covington | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $581 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 86% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Fort Covington; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Fort Covington residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
3 notable people were born in Fort Covington.
Town in New York, United States
Fort Covington is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 1,531 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from a War of 1812 fortification. The original name of the town was French Mills. The town is on the county's northern border, which is also the Canada–United States border.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Fort Covington.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Covington | — | — | A+ | — | D | D |
| Westville | — | — | A− | — | C− | D |
| Bombay | — | — | A− | — | D | D |
| Bangor | — | — | A− | — | C− | C− |
| Akwesasne | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Fort Covington, Westville, Bombay and Bangor have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Fort Covington, Westville, Bombay and Bangor report no FBI crime data of their own. Akwesasne isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Fort Covington with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $100,000, 81% 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 A+.
3 notable people were born here, including John Martin Thomas and Charles N. Holden.
