Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,167.
Harrietstown's standout: it has 116 miles of trail and 82% conserved land. Overall it grades C+, 506th of 745 graded towns in New York. It is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 46 places on the National Register. 82% of the land in Harrietstown 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 Witherspoon Cottage and Distin Cottage. On civic life, just 97 of New York’s 1,187 towns do better.
Where Harrietstown beats most towns.
Its 46 National Register listings are more than in 98% of New York towns with a listing.
Census counts: 181 in 1850, 5,254 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1902 on.
Explore the history →Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Harrietstown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harrietstown, 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 Harrietstown.
Harrietstown has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, keeps more of its land conserved than most of New York and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Its 111,192 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other New York town.
116 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is High Peaks Wilderness, 56,761 acres with 46 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. High Peaks Wilderness | 46 mi | 56,761 |
| 2. Saranac Lakes Wild Forest | 21.9 mi | 33,495 |
| 3. Ampersand Primitive Area | 0.8 mi | 422 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Saranac Lake Central School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Saranac Lake Senior High School, with 360 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrova Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 291 | C− |
| Saranac Lake Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 360 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The Lake Placid 2 S weather station, 13 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 118 days, shorter than in 97% of U.S. towns. The Lake Placid 2 S weather station, 13 miles away, records that 104 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. The Lake Placid 2 S weather station, 13 miles away, records that about 1 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 97% of U.S. towns.
At 75°F, Harrietstown’s July high is where New York’s towns sit at 81°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Harrietstown has cold, snowy winters and cool summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 2,217 working residents takes 14.5 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
About one in 3 of Harrietstown’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Harrietstown is 15 minutes. The top destinations are North Elba (22%), Malone (4%) and Brighton (3%).
| Harrietstown | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 33% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 24% of residents (18% statewide). 44% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Harrietstown.
| Harrietstown | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 32% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 18% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 44.1 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women. Among residents 75 and older, 62% are men (NY 40%).
| Harrietstown | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.6% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.4% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.2% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.2% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.7% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.7% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.7% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.6% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.1% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16.9% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.1% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.5% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.7% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 23.8% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 10,143 U.S. towns with household incomes like Harrietstown’s, it is healthier than 62%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Harrietstown beats the New York average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 40% of Harrietstown adults have obesity.
| Harrietstown | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Harrietstown | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.7% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.6% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Harrietstown since 1996.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Harrietstown’s median rent is $847 a month.
| Harrietstown | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $847 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Harrietstown. Close and well known come first.
16 mi MountainMount Marcy
16 mi State parkAdirondack Park
18 mi MountainWhiteface Mountain
16 mi LakeLake Tear of the Clouds
12 mi LandmarkJohn Brown Farm State Historic Site
12 mi Stadium & arenaHerb Brooks ArenaMount Marcy: Daniel Tripp, Public domain · Adirondack Park: Original uploader was Mwanner at en.wikipedia Later version(s) were uploaded by, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Whiteface Mountain: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Tear of the Clouds: TheKilimanjaro, CC BY-SA 4.0 · John Brown Farm State Historic Site: Mwanner | Talk, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herb Brooks Arena: KevinTR at English Wikipedia, CC0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Harrietstown
About 4 of every 100 Harrietstown residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
81.9% of the town is conserved land, across 13 parks and preserves.
46 places in Harrietstown on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
Harrietstown is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The total population was 5,254 at the 2020 census, In 2010 3,879 of the town's residents lived in the village of Saranac Lake on the eastern side of the town. Harrietstown is in the southeastern corner of Franklin County and is south of the town of Brighton.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Harrietstown.
Tupper Lake next door grades lower for schools (C− to Harrietstown’s B) and higher for cost of living (B+ to C+).
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrietstown | #506 | C+ | C+ | — | B | B− |
| Santa Clara | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Elba | #486 | C+ | D | — | B− | B+ |
| Tupper Lake | #603 | C− | B+ | — | C− | C+ |
| Newcomb | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| St. Armand | — | — | B− | — | B | B |
| Brighton | — | — | C | — | B | A− |
| Saranac Lake | #451 | C+ | C | — | B | B |
St. Armand and Brighton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Harrietstown, North Elba, Tupper Lake, St. Armand, Brighton and Saranac Lake report no FBI crime data of their own. Santa Clara and Newcomb aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Harrietstown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Harrietstown grades C+ overall, better than 35% of U.S. towns and #506 of 745 in New York. It grades B− for health and B for schools.
The typical home is worth about $209,000, 60% 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+.
