Bufo Americanus on the prowl, 2011
Houghton’s story
143 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 4 maps from 1906 on.
- 1883Houghton is settled
HoughtonNY
This town of 1,728 people was settled in 1883.
Population
1,728
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$204K
+5.9% in a year
Household income
$84K
median
Median age
21.4
years
Jobs based here
745
A job hub
Is Houghton a good place to live?
71% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Houghton, where New York’s towns sit at 32% and U.S. towns at 29%. Houghton’s density of trails is 1.8 miles per square mile, above both New York’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest place to walk is Genesee Valley Greenway State Park, 31 acres with 2.3 miles of trail. We don’t grade Houghton yet; the figures below are still real.
What makes Houghton stand out
Where Houghton beats most towns.
A shrinking town
Houghton has shrunk 12% from 2010 to 2020
1,693 counted in 2010 and 1,488 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Getting set up
Moving to Houghton: who provides what
Houghton is unincorporated, so Allegany County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerRochester Gas & Electric22.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHoughton Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesAllegany CountyAllegany County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereAllegany County Board of ElectionsAllegany County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2021
ZIP code1474414744 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Houghton.
Housing
Homes in Houghton are worth about $204K, by Zillow’s estimate
Home values are up 5.9% over the year to September 2026. In Houghton, 53% of households own their home. The going rate for rent for Houghton comes to $1,010 a month.
$204KZillow home value
| Houghton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,010 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Houghton$204K
New York$525K
+5.9%
value change, 1 year
0
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commute
The average trip to work in Houghton is shorter than in the typical New York or U.S. town
Most working residents leave Houghton for work: only 18% work in town. Among residents locally, 20% live below the poverty line. Also worth knowing: between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 551, to 745. The top destinations are Caneadea (18%), Arcade (6%) and Buffalo (6%).
18%work in town
| Houghton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Houghton18%
Caneadea18%
Arcade6%
Buffalo6%
Hume4%
24 mi
median commute distance
745
jobs based in Houghton
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: high risk in Houghton, mostly inland flooding
FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in Houghton than in 75% of U.S. communities.
75risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Expect snowy winters and pleasant summers in Houghton
A winter brings about 85 inches of snow, with January nights at 15° and July afternoons at 79°.
85″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter17–34°
Spring32–55°
Summer54–78°
Fall39–59°
Sep 30
typical first frost
May 21
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Houghton stands out in New York and nationally: a smaller share of its adults have high blood pressure
For adults in Houghton, the share who binge drink is 20%. Only 10 of the 756 New York towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Houghton. Of 32 CDC measures, Houghton beats the New York average on 14 and trails it on 7.
| Houghton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 34% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 32% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 6.4% | 11% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 16% |
32 measures vs. New York
14 better11 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Houghton | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 6.4% | 11.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.2% | 3.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17% | 12.8% |
Wyoming County
20.9 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Houghton keeps 7.3% of its land conserved
There are 4.8 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve.
7.3%conserved
7.3%
conserved · 127 of 1,736 acres
4.8 mi
of trails · 1.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Genesee Valley Greenway State Park | 2.3 mi | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Houghton
16pages on Houghton
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Houghton
College town 52 of every 100 Houghton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
A job hub
Every workday, about 672 people come to Houghton for work
Where Houghton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
745jobs based in Houghton
18%of working residents work in town
24 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Houghton
Census-designated place in New York, United States
Houghton is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in the Town of Caneadea in Allegany County, western New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, Houghton had a population of 1,488.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,207 ft
- ZIP code
- 14744
Houghton’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Houghton.
CaneadeaHumeRushfordHoughton
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Caneadea | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Hume | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Rushford | — | — | A− | — | B+ | B− |
Caneadea, Hume and Rushford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Caneadea, Hume and Rushford report no FBI crime data of their own. Houghton isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Houghton with a neighbor →
Questions about Houghton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Houghton, NY a good place to live?
We don’t grade Houghton yet; the figures below are still real.