Fort Edward, 1821
Fort Edward’s story
208 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,631 in 1820, 5,991 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1777 and 5 maps from 1895 on.
- 1818Fort Edward is settled
Village of Fort EdwardNY
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
3,128
2025 Census estimate · −1.3% since 2020
Typical home
$283K
+5.1% in a year
Household income
$72K
median
Median age
36.1
years
Jobs based here
866
A commuter town
TownGrade
C−
#607 of 745 in NY
Is Fort Edward a good place to live?
Fort Edward is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 607th among New York's 745 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 64% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its schools rank behind 71% of the state's. A typical home there costs about $283K, 3.7 years of the Glens Falls metro’s $76K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns. 13% of residents are 65 or older in Fort Edward, below both the New York town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 74% of U.S. towns.
What makes Fort Edward stand out
Where Fort Edward beats most towns.
How Fort Edward grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Fort Edward is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.3 of 20; 12.4% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →SchoolsCOpen →Jobs & income$72K median household incomeCOpen →HealthGlens Falls Hospital 4.2 miles awayBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 45% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →Cost of livingC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 9% conserved landAOpen →History5 notable people born hereAOpen →Civic life1.2 library visits per resident; 3.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 36.1; 16% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 80 attractions →Great Escape and 31 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fort Edward. Close and well known come first.
8 mi Theme parkGreat Escape
12 mi LandmarkFort William Henry
25 mi LakeLake George
9 mi State parkGrant Cottage State Historic Site
16 mi MuseumNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
4 mi Stadium & arenaCool Insuring ArenaSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Great Escape: Jared and Corin, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Fort William Henry: IrisKawling at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Lake George: Sixlocal, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Grant Cottage State Historic Site: Coingeek at English Wikipedia, Public domain · National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame: Peter Flass, CC BY 3.0 · Cool Insuring Arena: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Fort Edward: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fort Edward, and how to reach them.
PowerNational Grid19.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterFort Edward Village water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Fort Edward’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereWashington County Board of ElectionsWashington County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code1282812828 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Fort Edward.
Fort Edward has commutes shorter than most of New York, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
OutdoorsA
Fort Edward has set aside 9.3% of its land for conservation
1.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
#259for trails in NY
| Fort Edward | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
9.3%
conserved · 114 of 1,217 acres
1.0 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mullen Park | 0.1 mi | 7 |
| 2. Bradley Beach | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade C+
Fort Edward’s grade for cost of living is a C+
65.6% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 52.1% across New York.
Typical home values rose 5.1% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Fort Edward is $971 a month.
$283KZillow home value
Typical home value
Fort Edward$283K
New York$525K
+5.1%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Most of Fort Edward’s workers commute out: the town has 0.6 jobs for each of them
The average commute for its 1,373 working residents takes 23 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Fort Edward for work: only 5% work in town. 14% of residents live below the poverty line in Fort Edward. Since 2013, Fort Edward has lost 48 jobs, to 866 in 2023.
5%work in town
| Fort Edward | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Fort Edward5%
Queensbury14%
Glens Falls14%
Fort Edward11%
Saratoga Springs6%
9 mi
median commute distance
866
jobs based in Fort Edward
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Fort Edward
Fort Edward has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 12° and about 64 inches of snow falls in a winter.
64″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–34°
Spring34–57°
Summer57–81°
Fall39–61°
Sep 30
typical first frost
May 9
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
Fort Edward’s grade for health is a B
Fort Edward beats the New York average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 9.6% of Fort Edward adults have diabetes.
64%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Fort Edward | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 35% |
32 measures vs. New York
4 better21 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Fort Edward | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.9% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.1% | 17.2% |
| More smokers | 14.9% | 11.3% |
Glens Falls Hospital
4.2 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
44th
percentile among NY towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Fort Edward faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 2011, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fort Edward.
45risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold waves
2
paid flood claims since 2011
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Fort Edward
19pages on Fort Edward
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Fort Edward
About 2 of every 100 Fort Edward residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Fort Edward for work
Where Fort Edward’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
866jobs based in Fort Edward
5%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Fort Edward
5 notable people were born in Fort Edward.
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About Fort Edward
Town in New York, United States
Fort Edward is a town and the county seat of Washington County, New York, United States. The population was 5,991 at the 2020 census. The municipal center complex is on U.S. Route 4 between the villages of Hudson Falls and Fort Edward. When construction of the complex was completed in 1994, most of the administrative offices were moved from the original county seat of Hudson Falls to this location. The town of Fort Edward is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town contains a village also named Fort Edward. Both are located on the western border of the county.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1818
- Area
- 27 sq mi
- Elevation
- 138 ft
- Area code
- 518
Fort Edward’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Fort Edward.
Fort EdwardMoreauFort Edward
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Edward | #607 | C− | C+ | — | C | B |
| Fort Edward | #641 | C− | B− | — | C− | B+ |
| Moreau | #340 | B | B− | — | B− | A− |
Fort Edward, Fort Edward and Moreau report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Fort Edward with a neighbor →
Questions about Fort Edward
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fort Edward, NY a good place to live?
Fort Edward grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #607 of 745 in New York. It grades B for health and C for schools.
Is Fort Edward, NY expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
What is Fort Edward, NY known for?
5 notable people were born here, including Frederick A. Johnson and Frank Mountain.