Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hudson earns a D, ranked 719th of 745 in New York, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $54K, and 28% of residents live below the poverty line. Its public schools trail 85% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 14 places on the National Register. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in Hudson, against 9.5% in New York’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Hudson is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Dr. Oliver Bronson House and Estate and Dr. Oliver Bronson House and Stables.
Where Hudson beats most towns.
Dr. Oliver Bronson House and Stables
Dr. Oliver Bronson House and Estate is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,584 in 1790, a peak of 12,337 in 1930, 5,894 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1810 and a map from 1980 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Hudson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hudson, 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 Hudson.
Hudson draws workers from Greenport and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the New York rate.
4,439 jobs are based in Hudson, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 26.6 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
The share of working residents in Hudson who work locally: 23%. Half the trips to work are shorter than 21 miles. The average commute for Hudson comes to 27 minutes. The top destinations are New York (13%), Greenport (6%) and Claverack (6%).
| Hudson | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Public schools: the Hudson City School District. The largest public high school is Hudson High School, with 493 students. Two of the 3 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery C Smith Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 689 | C |
| Hudson High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 1–12 | Grades 1–12 | 493 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Expected losses in Hudson break down as 57% from inland flooding and 12% from tornadoes. Compared with 94% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 8 declared disasters, most recently in 2017.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 119 to 79 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
In Hudson, the property crime rate is 12.1 per 1,000 residents. The town’s rate of reported violence comes in at 1.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Hudson | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.1 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
28.2% of residents live below the poverty line, against 14% across New York, which weighs on its D for jobs and income.
43% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Hudson. Adults 35 to 64 are 46% of residents (39% statewide); children under 18 are 16% of residents (21% statewide). The town is shrinking: down 2.9% since 2020, to 5,721 residents (2025 estimate).
| Hudson | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 16% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 32% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 41.2 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women. Among residents 65 to 74, 69% are men (NY 47%).
| Hudson | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.2% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.6% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.8% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 22.2% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.8% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.3% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.5% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15.2% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.9% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.4% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.3% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.2% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.1% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
There are 0.9 miles of trail across 4 parks and preserves. Hudson’s trail network density is 0.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Henry Hudson Riverfront Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
| 2. Washington Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
| 3. Promenade Hill Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 7,167 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hudson’s, it is healthier than 72%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Hudson: 15% of adults binge drink. Among adults in the town, 40% sleep under 7 hours and 30% get no exercise outside work.
| Hudson | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 13% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 25% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Hudson | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.5% | 12.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6% |
| More smokers | 15.9% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
69.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 52.1% across New York.
The midpoint rent in Hudson is $1,343 a month. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 5.1% in value. Among households in the town, 45% are owner-occupiers.
| Hudson | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,343 a month | $1,098 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 Hudson. Close and well known come first.
3 mi MuseumOlana State Historic Site
34 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
15 mi WaterfallKaaterskill Falls
25 mi TheatreTanglewood
32 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year
23 mi MuseumNorman Rockwell MuseumOlana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kaaterskill Falls: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Norman Rockwell Museum: User:Rmrfstar, CC BY 2.5
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hudson
About 3 of every 100 Hudson residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
6,713 counted in 2010 and 5,894 in 2020; an estimated 5,721 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
14 places in Hudson on the National Register of Historic Places.
28 notable people were born in Hudson.
City in New York, United States
Hudson is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. On the east side of the Hudson River, 120 miles (190 km) from the Atlantic Ocean, it was named after the river's explorer, Henry Hudson. Often called the "Brooklyn of Upstate New York", Hudson is a tourist destination known for its antique shops and boutiques.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Hudson.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hudson | #719 | D | D | C+ | C− | C+ |
| Greenport | #703 | D | D | — | C− | B− |
| Lorenz Park | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Athens | — | — | C− | — | C | A− |
| Athens | #642 | C− | C− | — | C | B |
Athens has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Greenport, Athens and Athens report no FBI crime data of their own. Lorenz Park isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Hudson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hudson grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #719 of 745 in New York. It grades C+ for health, C+ for safety and C− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 5.6 years of the area's median household income ($81,528 across the Hudson, NY area).
28 notable people were born here, including John C. Spencer and Marion Greig.
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