Edmund Wilson House · National Register of Historic Places
Leyden’s story
223 years in pictures
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1803Leyden is settled
LeydenNY
4 bordering townsMap →
Edmund Wilson House · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,585
2025 Census estimate · +0.4% since 2020
Median home value
$173K
Census ACS
Household income
$59K
median
Median age
43.6
years
Jobs based here
72
A commuter town
Is Leyden a good place to live?
The best of Leyden’s subject grades are an A− for cost of living and an A for history; the weakest is a D for incomes. Only 56 of New York’s 1,215 towns score higher on cost of living. On the outdoors, just 32 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Edmund Wilson House and St. Mark's Church. Leyden has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Leyden stand out
Where Leyden beats most towns.
A shrinking town
Leyden has shrunk 12% since 2010
1,785 counted in 2010 and 1,572 in 2020; an estimated 1,585 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Leyden grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Leyden is from typical.
Jobs & incomeDOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $173K, 2.5 years of the county’s $68K median household incomeA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 33% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →SchoolsBehind 62% of New York districts on tests and graduationC+Open →HealthLewis County General Hospital 19 miles awayC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.8 of 20; 3.9% of households have no car; 7.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors3 miles of trailsDOpen →History3 notable people born hereAOpen →Civic life3.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateSnowy winters, 77° summer afternoons, 164″ of snow–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 43.6; 14% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Leyden: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Leyden, and how to reach them.
PowerNational Grid19.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPort Leyden Village water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Leyden’s trash rules yet
SchoolsSouth Lewis Central School DistrictAdirondack Central School District2 districts serve Leyden; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereLewis County Board of ElectionsLewis County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2024
ZIP codes13433, 13309, 1332513433 50% · 13309 46% · 13325 5%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Leyden.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Leyden’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Leyden for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Leyden has lost 20 jobs, to 72 in 2023. Leyden’s median household income is $59,000, where New York’s towns sit at $82,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000.
3%work in town
| Leyden | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Leyden3%
Lowville19%
Turin11%
Boonville8%
West Turin6%
20 mi
median commute distance
72
jobs based in Leyden
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 54% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Compared with most of New York and the rest of the country, a typical July afternoon in Leyden is cooler
Leyden’s July high is 77°F, below both New York’s towns (81°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Leyden has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain.
164″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter12–29°
Spring30–52°
Summer54–75°
Fall37–56°
Oct 4
typical first frost
May 10
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Leyden
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Leyden.
33risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
6
paid flood claims since 1978
8
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC+
Leyden is less healthy than 58% of U.S. towns
Leyden beats the New York average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 38% of Leyden adults have obesity.
42%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Leyden | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New York
4 better17 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Leyden | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.9% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.4% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.9% | 6% |
Lewis County General Hospital
19 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsD
Conserved land covers 0% of Leyden
2.9 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. The trail density in Leyden is 0.1 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 4 of 21,375 acres
2.9 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Leyden
19pages on Leyden
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Leyden; the nearest are
SUNY Polytechnic InstituteUniversity or college · Public · Utica28.5 mi$8,625 in-state tuitionMohawk Valley Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Utica32.7 mi$6,218 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Leyden residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Leyden for work
Where Leyden’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
72jobs based in Leyden
3%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Leyden
3 notable people were born in Leyden.
About Leyden
Town in New York, United States
Leyden is a town in Lewis County, New York, United States. The population was 1,785 at the 2010 census. The town is in the southern part of the county and is north of Rome.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 34 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,138 ft
- Area code
- 315
Leyden’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Leyden.
LyonsdaleWest TurinLewisBoonvilleLeyden
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leyden | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C+ |
| Lyonsdale | — | — | A+ | — | B− | C |
| West Turin | — | — | A | — | B− | C |
| Lewis | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Boonville | #588 | C− | B− | — | C | B− |
Leyden, Lyonsdale and West Turin have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Leyden, Lyonsdale, West Turin and Boonville report no FBI crime data of their own. Lewis isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Leyden with a neighbor →
Questions about Leyden
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Leyden, NY expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
What is Leyden, NY known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Clinton L. Merriam and Samuel D. Burchard.