Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Overall, Kirkland earns an A, which places it 127th of 745 in New York. It comes out better than 86% of U.S. towns. Its strongest is health: residents are healthier than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Add walkability to its strengths: it is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. The drawback is cost of living (C−): the typical home is worth about $293K, 4.2 years of the Utica metro’s $70K median household income. This New York town is home to Hamilton College. 12% of residents are under 18 in the town, below both New York’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (22%). History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24.
Where Kirkland beats most towns.
Elihu Root House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,509 in 1830, 10,075 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1857 and 3 maps from 1895 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Kirkland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kirkland, 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 Kirkland.
Kirkland is shaped by its college students, trades workers with Utica and other neighbors and has less food insecurity than most of New York.
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 8.6% of its 8,646 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
Nearly a tenth of Kirkland adults worry about having enough food. Against the New York average, Kirkland comes out ahead on 13 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 2. Two figures for adults here: 11% report frequent physical distress, 13% say their health is fair or poor.
| Kirkland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Kirkland | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.6% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.2% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The public schools here belong to the Clinton Central School District. The largest public high school is Clinton Senior High School, with 339 students. Below: Two of its 3 schools, each with why it was picked.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 563 | B |
| Clinton Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 339 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The biggest park or preserve is Kirkland Town Park, at 77 acres. Count the trails in 3 parks and preserves and they come to 15 miles. Parks and preserves here: 3, covering 84 acres.
| Kirkland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kirkland Town Park | — | 77 |
| 2. Foundation Fields | — | 6 |
| 3. Village Green | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Kirkland has about as many jobs (4,071) as working residents, but only 810 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 18 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
In Kirkland, the typical journey to work is 18 minutes. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 1,916, to 4,071. For half of commuters, work is under 9 miles away. The top destinations are Utica (15%), New Hartford (12%) and Rome (4%).
| Kirkland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.7% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 13% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
153 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 24 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1979, 153 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kirkland. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Kirkland break down as 79% from inland flooding and 7% from cold waves. Federal aid has come to Kirkland households in 11 declared disasters; the latest was in 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The share of households in Kirkland who own their home: 58%. Its typical rent comes in at $1,087 a month.
| Kirkland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,087 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 Kirkland. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi MuseumNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum315K visitors a year
38 mi Stadium & arenaJMA Wireless Dome
13 mi National MonumentFort Stanwix National Monument78K visitors a year20 mi LandmarkFort Dayton
9 mi Stadium & arenaUtica Memorial Auditorium
8 mi MuseumMunson-Williams-Proctor Arts InstituteNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0 · JMA Wireless Dome: Jimhoward03, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Stanwix National Monument: NPS photo, Public domain · Utica Memorial Auditorium: Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0
5 within 15 miles of the center of Kirkland
College town 25 of every 100 Kirkland residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
6 places in Kirkland on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Oneida County, New York, United States
Kirkland is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 10,075 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Samuel Kirkland, a missionary among the Oneidas. The Town of Kirkland is southwest of Utica. In 1829, part of Kirkland was used to form the newer Town of Marshall. Hamilton College is located in the western part of the town. Clinton is the only village in the town of Kirkland.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Kirkland.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkland | #127 | A | C− | — | A− | A |
| Westmoreland | #150 | A− | B− | — | A− | B |
| New Hartford | #269 | B+ | C+ | C− | A | A |
| Marshall | — | — | B− | — | B− | B+ |
| Paris | #239 | B+ | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Augusta | — | — | B+ | — | C | B− |
| Vernon | #293 | B | B | — | B | B |
| Whitestown | #67 | A | B− | A+ | B+ | B+ |
Marshall and Augusta have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Kirkland, Westmoreland, Marshall, Paris, Augusta and Vernon report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Kirkland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Kirkland grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #127 of 745 in New York. It grades A for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $293,000, 44% 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−.
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