Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,258, settled in 1883.
The best of Lake Placid’s subject grades are an A for walkability and an A− for health and the outdoors; the weakest is a D for cost of living. Only 4 of the 759 New York towns we compare have a lower July high than Lake Placid. Lake Placid’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile, above both the New York town median (0.4) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Lake Placid has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Lake Placid beats most towns.
2,521 counted in 2010 and 2,205 in 2020; an estimated 2,258 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Lake Placid is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,682 in 1910, a peak of 3,136 in 1940, 2,205 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and 4 maps from 1896 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Placid, 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 Lake Placid.
Lake Placid beats the New York average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 18% of Lake Placid adults binge drink, against 17% in New York’s towns and 16% across U.S. towns. 34% of Lake Placid adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Lake Placid | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 37% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Lake Placid | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.9% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.8% | 17.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Lake Placid home is worth about $402,000, up 2.3% in a year, 23% below the New York typical home. 46% of households own their home in Lake Placid.
| Lake Placid | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,102 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The January low in Lake Placid is 6°F. Lake Placid has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 14% of residents (21% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 28% of residents (23% statewide). 43% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.
| Lake Placid | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 32% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 42 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.9 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Lake Placid | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.9% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.7% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.2% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 23.2% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.9% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.3% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.6% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.3% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.4% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.1% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.4% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.6% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.2% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,300, single groups can be off by several points
Lake Placid’s median household income is $42,000. Since 2013, Lake Placid has lost 210 jobs, to 1,507 in 2023. Lake Placid’s average trip to work is 18 minutes.
| Lake Placid | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Lake Placid's reported crime rate is below New York's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025.
| Lake Placid | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.8 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kiwanis Teddy Bear Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Placid. Close and well known come first.
12 mi MountainMount Marcy
Big draw37 mi LakeLake Champlain
7 mi MountainWhiteface Mountain
26 mi State parkAdirondack Park
2 mi LandmarkJohn Brown Farm State Historic Site
13 mi LakeLake Tear of the CloudsMount Marcy: Daniel Tripp, Public domain · Lake Champlain: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Whiteface Mountain: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Adirondack Park: Original uploader was Mwanner at en.wikipedia Later version(s) were uploaded by, CC BY-SA 3.0 · John Brown Farm State Historic Site: Mwanner | Talk, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Tear of the Clouds: TheKilimanjaro, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Placid
About 0 of every 100 Lake Placid residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
21 notable people were born in Lake Placid.
Village in New York State, United States
Lake Placid is a village in Essex County, New York, United States, within the Adirondack Mountains. Its population was 2,205 at the 2020 census. Lake Placid became known internationally for hosting the 1932 and the 1980 Winter Olympics. Lake Placid has also hosted the 1972 and 2023 Winter World University Games, as well as the 2000 Goodwill Winter Games. The village is near the center of the town of North Elba, 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Plattsburgh.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. That is 5.6 years of the area's median household income ($71,661 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
21 notable people were born here, including Jack Shea and Andrew Weibrecht.
