Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gates grades C overall, ranked 574th of 745 in New York, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, it reports more crime per resident than 79% of U.S. towns, including 45 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Gates’ property crime rate is 24.1 per 1,000 residents, above both New York’s towns (7.5) and U.S. towns (9.9). Franklin Hinchey House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Gates's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 81% of U.S. towns.
Where Gates beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,643 in 1820, a low of 1,419 in 1920, 29,167 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 8 maps from 1895 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Gates is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gates. Close and well known come first.
5 mi Stadium & arenaBlue Cross Arena
7 mi MuseumGeorge Eastman Museum
6 mi MuseumThe National Museum of Play37 mi Theme parkSix Flags Darien Lake1.5M visitors a year
38 mi State parkLetchworth State Park
27 mi MountainCumorahBlue Cross Arena: Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers), CC BY-SA 3.0 · George Eastman Museum: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · The National Museum of Play: Misc, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Letchworth State Park: Suandsoe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gates, 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 Gates.
Gates gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 25 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gates.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Gates Chili Central School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Gates Chili High School, with 1,134 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gates Chili Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 838 | C− |
| Gates Chili High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,134 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 916 to 736 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Gates reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 79% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
3.3 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Memorial Park, at 34 acres.
| Gates | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Memorial Park | 0.7 mi | 34 |
| 2. Lions Park | 0.3 mi | 10 |
| 3. First Responders Park | 0.2 mi | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Rochester Gtr Intl Ap weather station records that 102 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Gates has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Gates’ July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 13,757 working residents takes 17.5 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Gates for work: only 10% work in town. The average trip to work in Gates is 18 minutes. Since 2013, Gates has added 1,766 jobs, to 20,279 in 2023.
| Gates | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 17% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Gates beats the New York average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 27% of Gates adults get no exercise outside work.
| Gates | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 32% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Gates | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.6% | 12.8% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.7% | 7.9% |
| More adults with depression | 22.2% | 17.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 2.2 years of the Rochester metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 83% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
12 within 15 miles of the center of Gates
About 4 of every 100 Gates residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Town in New York, United States
Gates is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The town is named after General Horatio Gates. The population was 29,167 at the 2020 census. Gates and North Gates are census-designated places within the town. It is a suburb of Rochester.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Gates.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gates | #574 | C | C | C− | C | B |
| Rochester | #737 | D− | C+ | D | D− | C− |
| North Gates | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chili | #171 | A− | C | — | B | A− |
| Greece | #440 | C+ | C | C+ | B− | B+ |
| Ogden | #113 | A | C | A | B | A− |
Chili reports no FBI crime data of its own. North Gates isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Gates with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gates grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #574 of 745 in New York. It grades B for health, C− for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
The typical home is worth about $171,000, 68% 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 C.
