Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Hamilton grades A overall, better than 87% of U.S. towns. It reports less crime per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. It is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns and its schools rank ahead of 84% of New York towns. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $333K, 4.4 years of the Syracuse metro’s $75K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns. Hamilton is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among New York’s towns. 48% of working residents work locally in Hamilton, against 10% in New York’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Hamilton is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns. Hamilton is home to Colgate University.
Where Hamilton beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Hamilton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,681 in 1820, 6,379 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1858 and 2 maps from 1902 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hamilton, 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 Hamilton.
Hamilton pairs an A overall with homes cheaper than the New York norm, is shaped by its college students and draws workers from Hamilton and beyond.
Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Hamilton is 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Hamilton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
3,494 jobs are based in Hamilton, 3.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 14.5 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Hamilton’s average trip to work is 15 minutes. Since 2013, Hamilton has added 688 jobs, to 3,494 in 2023. 13% of Hamilton residents live below the poverty line.
| Hamilton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Hamilton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hamilton Village Green | 0.4 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with New York is diabetes: 4% of its 3,839 adults have diabetes, against 11.5% statewide.
4% of adults have diabetes in Hamilton. Only 1 of the 755 New York towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have high blood pressure than Hamilton. 28% of adults have obesity in Hamilton.
| Hamilton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 4% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Hamilton | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 4% | 11.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 1.4% | 3.4% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 21.9% | 15% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Hamilton grades A overall with a typical home of about $333K, below the New York typical value; only 33 of the 89 New York towns graded A− or better can say that.
Typical home values rose 5.9% in the year to September 2026.
| Hamilton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,245 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Hamilton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 13° and about 77 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 2005, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hamilton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Hamilton
College town 73 of every 100 Hamilton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Hamilton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
14 notable people were born in Hamilton.
Town in Madison County, New York, US
Hamilton is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 6,379 at the 2020 census. The town is named after American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and is a college town, with Colgate University dominating the town's employment, culture and population. The town of Hamilton contains a village also named Hamilton.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Hamilton.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | – | A | C− | A+ | A− | A |
| Hamilton | – | C+ | C− | — | B− | B+ |
| Lebanon | — | — | B+ | — | B− | B+ |
| Madison | #595 | C− | C+ | — | D | B+ |
Lebanon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Hamilton, Lebanon and Madison report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hamilton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Hamilton grades A overall, better than 87% of U.S. towns. Hamilton is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among New York’s towns. It grades A for health, A+ for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
14 notable people were born here, including John Vincent Atanasoff and Henry B. Payne.
