Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gardiner grades C+ overall, 490th of 745 graded towns in New York, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It has 44 miles of trail. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $469K, 5.4 years of the Kingston metro’s $86K median household income. 19% of the land in Gardiner is conserved, above both the New York town median (5.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Its National Register listings include Locust Lawn Estate and Tuthilltown Gristmill. Gardiner's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 83% of U.S. towns.
Where Gardiner beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,096 in 1860, a low of 988 in 1930, 5,610 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1742 and 3 maps from 1903 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Gardiner is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gardiner. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
14 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
14 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year5 mi Park & preserveMinnewaska State Park Preserve
24 mi Stadium & arenaMichie Stadium14 mi MuseumFranklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and MuseumUnited States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Michie Stadium: John Pellino, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gardiner, 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 Gardiner.
In Gardiner, the trail network density is 1.0 miles per square mile, above both New York’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4). Minnewaska State Park Preserve, at 2,712 acres with 10.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Parks and preserves locally: 7, covering 4,818 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mohonk Preserve | 18.1 mi | 1,812 |
| 2. Minnewaska State Park Preserve | 10.8 mi | 2,712 |
| 3. Shawangunk Multiple Use Area | 1.9 mi | 59 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growing Circle Montessori PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–K | Grades PK–K | 20 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Gardiner’s typical journey to work stands at 32 minutes. Most people who work leave Gardiner to do it: just 10% work in town. The top destinations are New York (13%), New Paltz (12%) and Poughkeepsie (5%). The median commute is under 16 miles.
| Gardiner | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $115,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Gardiner’s midpoint age comes in at 48.7 years. Adults 35 to 64 are 49% of residents (39% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (23% statewide). In Gardiner, 43% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Gardiner | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48.7 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 32% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 20% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Gardiner | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.9% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.2% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.9% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.8% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 19% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 22% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.4% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.9% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.9% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.9% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.7% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.6% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 6,413 U.S. towns with household incomes like Gardiner’s, it is less healthy than 88%, so it trails even them.
The share of adults in Gardiner who worry about having enough food: 18%. 15% of adults binge drink here.
| Gardiner | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Gardiner | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6% |
| More smokers | 15% | 11.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.4% | 12.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1996, Gardiner has seen 25 flood insurance claims paid out. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage here than in 55% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Gardiner break down as 66% from inland flooding and 9% from tornadoes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
5 within 15 miles of the center of Gardiner
About 4 of every 100 Gardiner residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Gardiner’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
14 places in Gardiner on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
Gardiner is a town in the south-central part of Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,610 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Gardiner.
Wawarsing next door grades lower for schools (D to Gardiner’s B+) and higher for cost of living (C to D).
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardiner | #490 | C+ | D | — | B+ | B− |
| Rochester | #576 | C | C− | — | C | B+ |
| New Paltz | #218 | B+ | D | A− | B+ | A− |
| Shawangunk | #328 | B | D | A+ | B | A− |
| Plattekill | #206 | B+ | C− | A | B+ | A− |
| Wawarsing | #711 | D | C | — | D | B− |
| Lloyd | #294 | B | D | B+ | B | A |
Gardiner, Rochester and Wawarsing report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Gardiner with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gardiner grades C+ overall, better than 37% of U.S. towns and #490 of 745 in New York. It grades B− for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
