Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Geneseo’s best grade is for walkability: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 96% of U.S. towns. Overall, Geneseo earns an A, which places it 119th of 745 in New York. Nationally, it does better than 86% of U.S. towns. Health is a strength too: it is healthier than 83% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is cost of living (C+): the typical home is worth about $242K, 3.2 years of the Rochester metro’s $76K median household income. The biggest place to walk is Indian Fort Nature Preserve, 66 acres with 2 miles of trail. 25% of residents live below the poverty line here, against 9.5% in New York’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
Where Geneseo beats most towns.
Main Street Historic District
Main Street Historic District is one of 3 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,598 in 1820, 10,483 in 2010. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1841 and 4 maps from 1904 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Geneseo is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Geneseo, 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 Geneseo.
Geneseo is shaped by its college students and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
Of its 4 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The largest public high school is Geneseo Middle School High School, with 467 students. The Geneseo Central School District runs its public schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geneseo Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 406 | C |
| Geneseo Middle School High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 467 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
For Geneseo, the risk rating from FEMA is 8 of 100. Expected losses in Geneseo break down as 71% from inland flooding and 8% from tornadoes. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Geneseo after 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2014.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The share of adults in Geneseo who have high blood pressure: 27%. This New York town beats the New York average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5.
| Geneseo | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 34% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.5% | 11% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Geneseo | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.5% | 11.5% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.6% | 7.9% |
| More adults with depression | 22.7% | 17.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Trails run 17 miles in 6 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Geneseo: 6, covering 138 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Indian Fort Nature Preserve | 2 mi | 66 |
| 2. Island Preserve | 1.4 mi | 44 |
| 3. Highland Park | 0.8 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Geneseo’s typical July afternoon high comes in at 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 3,222 working residents takes 20.3 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Geneseo rose by 556, to 4,570. Most working residents leave Geneseo for work: only 14% work in town. For Geneseo, the average trip to work is 20 minutes. Half the trips to work are shorter than 25 miles.
| Geneseo | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Geneseo. Close and well known come first.
16 mi State parkLetchworth State Park32 mi Theme parkSix Flags Darien Lake1.5M visitors a year
31 mi MountainCumorah
26 mi MuseumGeorge Eastman Museum
26 mi Stadium & arenaBlue Cross Arena
26 mi MuseumThe National Museum of PlayLetchworth State Park: Suandsoe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0 · George Eastman Museum: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Blue Cross Arena: Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers), CC BY-SA 3.0 · The National Museum of Play: Misc, CC BY-SA 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Geneseo
College town 44 of every 100 Geneseo residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
5 places in Geneseo on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in Geneseo.
Town in New York, United States
Geneseo ( jen-i-SEE-oh) is a town in Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. It is at the south end of the five-county Rochester Metropolitan Area. The population of the town was 10,483 at the 2010 census. The English name "Geneseo" is an anglicization of the Seneca name for the earlier Seneca town there, Jo’néhsiyoh, meaning "Good sand there." The village of Geneseo lies within the western portion of the town. The village and town are known today mainly as the home of the State University of New York at Geneseo.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Geneseo.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneseo | #119 | A | C+ | — | B | A− |
| Leicester | — | — | A | — | B− | B |
| York | #329 | B | B− | — | B | C+ |
| Livonia | #245 | B+ | B− | — | B | A− |
| Groveland | — | — | C+ | — | B | B |
| Geneseo | – | A− | C+ | B | B | A |
| Avon | #65 | A | B− | — | B+ | A− |
| Conesus Lake | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Leicester and Groveland have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Geneseo, Leicester, York, Livonia, Groveland and Avon report no FBI crime data of their own. Conesus Lake isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Geneseo with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Geneseo grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #119 of 745 in New York. It grades A− for health and B for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
16 notable people were born here, including Albert Francis Blakeslee and Winifred Greenwood.
