Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Highland Falls grades B− overall, ranked 390th of 745 in New York, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 77% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $421K, 4.3 years of the Kiryas Joel metro’s $98K median household income. Among 265 New York towns, just 5 have a lower property crime rate than Highland Falls. Highland Falls is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 69% of U.S. towns. Highland Falls's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 80% of U.S. towns.
Where Highland Falls beats most towns.
Where Highland Falls’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Highland Falls is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,976 in 1880, 3,684 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1847 and 6 maps from 1892 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Highland Falls. Close and well known come first.
Big draw2 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw37 mi Stadium & arenaYankee Stadium
2 mi Stadium & arenaMichie Stadium
Big draw35 mi MuseumThe Cloisters
24 mi LandmarkFerncliff CemeteryUnited States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · MetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0 · Yankee Stadium: Matt Boulton, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Michie Stadium: John Pellino, Public domain · The Cloisters: Paweł Drozd on Wiki Drozdpl cropped by Beyond My Ken (talk) 17:05, 27 December 2, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ferncliff Cemetery: Anthony22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Highland Falls, 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 Highland Falls.
Highland Falls owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has commutes shorter than most of New York, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
Against the 7,028 U.S. towns with household incomes like Highland Falls’s, it is healthier than 58%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
17% of Highland Falls adults have been diagnosed with depression, below both the New York town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (23%). 31% of adults have high blood pressure in Highland Falls. Highland Falls tracks New York closely on all 32 CDC measures.
| Highland Falls | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 21% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 1,578 working residents takes 25.6 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Highland Falls for work: only 10% work in town. At $111,000, Highland Falls’ median household income is against $82,000 in New York’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Highland Falls grew to 832 in 2023, 56 more than in 2013.
| Highland Falls | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $111,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 35 to 64 are 51% of residents (39% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide). 13% of Highland Falls residents are 65 or older. Highland Falls has lost 2.6% of its people since 2020, down to 3,631 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Highland Falls | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 32% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 43.9 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.6 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Highland Falls | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.7% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.4% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.7% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.8% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.1% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.7% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.5% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.8% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.9% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.9% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.5% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 26.7% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,600, single groups can be off by several points
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of New York towns, with expected losses of about $243 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Highland Falls is 75 of 100. Since 1979, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Highland Falls.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Highland Falls has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Highland Falls’ median rent is $1,643 a month. The typical Highland Falls home is worth about $421,000, up 1% in a year, 20% below the New York typical home.
| Highland Falls | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,643 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Highland Falls's reported crime rate is well below New York's. No violent crimes were reported in 2025.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Highland Falls | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Roe Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
7 within 15 miles of the center of Highland Falls
About 2 of every 100 Highland Falls residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
6 notable people were born in Highland Falls.
Village in New York, United States
Highland Falls, formerly named Buttermilk Falls, is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,684 at the 2020 census. The village was founded in 1906. It is part of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metropolitan area as well as the larger New York metropolitan area. Highland Falls is in the Town of Highlands and is adjacent to the United States Military Academy at West Point.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Highland Falls.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Falls | #390 | B− | C− | — | B | A− |
| West Point | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fort Montgomery | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Highland Falls reports no FBI crime data of its own. West Point and Fort Montgomery aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Highland Falls with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Highland Falls grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #390 of 745 in New York. It grades A− for health and B 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−.
6 notable people were born here, including Charles Durning and Kevin Jackson.
