Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hunter's standout: it has 152 miles of trail and 56% conserved land. Overall it grades B−, 419th among New York's 745 graded towns. It reports less crime per resident than 82% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 16 places on the National Register. 56% of the land in Hunter 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 Elka Park Historic District and All Souls Church. Among 758 New York towns, just 4 have a lower July high than Hunter.
Where Hunter beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,025 in 1820, 3,035 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Hunter is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hunter. Close and well known come first.
in town WaterfallKaaterskill Falls
29 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
in town Ski areaHunter Mountain62 runs · 1,532 ft vertical
17 mi MuseumOlana State Historic Site
27 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year
19 mi Park & preserveCatskill ParkKaaterskill Falls: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hunter Mountain: The original uploader was Daniel Case at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Olana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Catskill Park: The original uploader was Daniel Case at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hunter, 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 Hunter.
Hunter has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding) and reports more crime than Shandaken and its other graded neighbors.
Its 31,973 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 99% of New York towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #23 of 758 in New York.
152 miles of trail in 33 parks and preserves. At 1.7 miles per square mile, Hunter’s trail density is above both New York’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4). Indian Head Wilderness, at 13,964 acres with 33.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kaaterskill Wild Forest | 35.1 mi | 6,248 |
| 2. Indian Head Wilderness | 33.4 mi | 13,964 |
| 3. Hunter-West Kill Wilderness | 11.4 mi | 5,338 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Hunter-Tannersville Central School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 174 | C |
| Hunter-Tannersville Middle School High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 157 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Hunter is safe by national standards, yet each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Shandaken (A) to Woodstock (A+). At 7.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 67% of New York’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The E Jewett weather station, 5 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 129 days, shorter than in 95% of U.S. towns. The E Jewett weather station, 5 miles away, records that 95 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. The E Jewett weather station, 5 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Hunter has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Hunter’s January low is 12°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 823 working residents takes 17.2 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
About one in 4 of Hunter’s working residents works in town. 20% of Hunter residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are New York (15%), Albany (4%) and Catskill (4%).
| Hunter | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of New York towns, with expected losses of about $842 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Hunter is 64 of 100. Since 1979, 24 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hunter.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (39% statewide); people 65 and older are 24% of residents (18% statewide). 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.
| Hunter | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.8 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 22% | 20% | 22% |
55% women, 45% men
About 83 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.7 points). Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Hunter | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.3% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.6% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.9% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.2% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.1% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.4% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.8% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.8% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.8% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.7% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 18.9% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.4% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.3% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,000, single groups can be off by several points
Against the 10,173 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hunter’s, it is healthier than 65%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Hunter beats the New York average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 15% of adults report frequent physical distress in Hunter.
| Hunter | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 36% |
| What stands out | Hunter | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.4% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.5% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.7% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Hunter; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Hunter residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
55.7% of the town is conserved land, across 33 parks and preserves.
16 places in Hunter on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
Hunter is a town located in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 3,035 at the time of the 2020 census. The town contains two villages, one named Hunter on the west, and the second called Tannersville, as well as a number of hamlets such as Haines Falls, Platte Clove, Lanesville and Edgewood. Additionally, there are three residential parks location within town limits: Onteora Park, Twilight Park and Elka Park. The town is on the southern border of Greene County and abuts the towns of Woodstock and Saugerties, located in Ulster County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Hunter.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter | #419 | B− | C | A− | B− | B− |
| Jewett | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Catskill | #629 | C− | C | — | C | B− |
| Palenville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lexington | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cairo | #493 | C+ | C | A+ | C− | B− |
| Woodstock | #278 | B+ | D− | A+ | B | A |
| Shandaken | #453 | C+ | C− | A | B | B |
Catskill reports no FBI crime data of its own. Jewett, Palenville and Lexington aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Hunter with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hunter grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #419 of 745 in New York. It grades B− for health, A− for safety and B− for schools.
The typical home is worth about $314,000. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
