Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Leicester’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and the outdoors; its weakest is a D for walkability. On cost of living, just 38 of New York’s 1,215 towns do better. 27% of residents are 65 or older in Leicester, above both the New York town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). 23% of the land in Leicester is conserved, where New York’s towns sit at 5.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Only 104 of New York’s 1,187 towns score lower on civic life. Leicester has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them National Hotel and Coverdale Cobblestone House. Leicester has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Leicester beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,331 in 1820, 2,200 in 2010. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 3 maps from 1904 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Leicester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Leicester, 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 Leicester.
In Leicester, 3.2% of working residents work locally. Jobs based locally fell to 484 in 2023, 128 fewer than in 2013. The mean commuting time here is 22 minutes. The top destinations are Geneseo (14%), Rochester (9%) and Mount Morris (6%).
| Leicester | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.8% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The biggest place to walk is Genesee Valley Greenway State Park, 75 acres with 4.1 miles of trail. Trails total 20 miles in 3 parks and preserves. In Leicester, the trail density is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Genesee Valley Greenway State Park | 4.1 mi | 75 |
| 2. Starr Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Boyd-Parker State Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Among residents in Leicester, 15% are under 18. New York has 40% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 34%. Its midpoint age comes in at 51.2 years.
| Leicester | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.2 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 32% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.5 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Leicester | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.8% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.9% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.6% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.7% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.4% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.5% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.2% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.9% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.4% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.1% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 15% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.4% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.1% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,100, single groups can be off by several points
A winter brings about 52 inches of snow, with January nights at 17° and July afternoons at 82°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For adults in Leicester, the share who have been diagnosed with depression is 21%. This New York town does better than the New York average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 5. In Leicester, 36% of adults have high blood pressure, and 17% binge drink.
| Leicester | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 21% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 34% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 17% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Leicester | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.4% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.5% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Four fifths of Leicester’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding. Compared with 56% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is lower. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Leicester after 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2011.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Leicester’s midpoint rent stands at $740 a month. The share of households in Leicester who live in a home they own: 86%.
| Leicester | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $740 a month | $1,101 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 Leicester. Close and well known come first.
10 mi State parkLetchworth State Park27 mi Theme parkSix Flags Darien Lake1.5M visitors a year
38 mi MountainCumorah
32 mi MuseumGeorge Eastman Museum
31 mi Stadium & arenaBlue Cross Arena
31 mi MuseumThe National Museum of PlayLetchworth State Park: Suandsoe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0 · George Eastman Museum: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Blue Cross Arena: Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers), CC BY-SA 3.0 · The National Museum of Play: Misc, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Leicester
About 2 of every 100 Leicester residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Leicester’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Leicester on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
Leicester ( LEST-ər) is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 2,200 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Leicester Phelps, an early inhabitant. Leicester is on the western border of Livingston County. The village of Leicester is at the center of the town. Leicester is west of Geneseo.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Leicester.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester | — | — | A | — | B− | B |
| Geneseo | #119 | A | C+ | — | B | A− |
| Mount Morris | #469 | C+ | A− | — | C− | B− |
| York | #329 | B | B− | — | B | C+ |
| Groveland | — | — | C+ | — | B | B |
| Mount Morris | #571 | C | A− | — | D | C+ |
| Castile | #511 | C | B+ | — | C+ | B− |
| Perry | #363 | B− | B+ | — | C | C+ |
Leicester and Groveland have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Leicester, Geneseo, Mount Morris, York, Groveland, Mount Morris, Castile and Perry report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Leicester with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $162,000, 69% 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 A.
