Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Liberty grades D− overall, 725th of 745 graded towns in New York, mostly because of schools and safety. Its schools rank behind 97% of the state's. It reports more crime per resident than 90% of U.S. towns, including 42 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns. Liberty’s violent crime rate is 8.1 per 1,000 residents, above both New York’s towns (0.8) and U.S. towns (1.6). Liberty is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Walnut Mountain Park, at 60 acres.
Where Liberty beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Liberty is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 9,632 in 2000, 10,159 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 3 maps from 1942 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Liberty, 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 Liberty.
Liberty has commutes shorter than most of New York, but it reports violent crime at about twice the New York rate.
Violent crime runs at 8.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the New York rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D.
The property crime rate in Liberty is 20.1 per 1,000 residents. Liberty reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Liberty.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
44% of Liberty adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 755 New York towns, just 10 have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Liberty. 15% of Liberty adults binge drink.
| Liberty | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 37% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 25% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Liberty | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 12.7% | 7.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.6% | 12.8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.8% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Liberty has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Liberty’s July high is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,817 working residents takes 21.2 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Liberty for work: only 17% work in town. 15% of residents live below the poverty line in Liberty. Since 2013, Liberty has added 141 jobs, to 2,495 in 2023.
| Liberty | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Liberty | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.7% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Walnut Mountain Park | 0.4 mi | 60 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Liberty
About 1 of every 100 Liberty residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
8 notable people were born in Liberty.
Town in New York, United States
Liberty is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 10,159 at the 2020 census. The village is bisected by NY 52 and NY 55, and is crossed by NY 17.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Liberty grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #725 of 745 in New York. It grades C for health, D for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
8 notable people were born here, including Zoe Leonard and Rosetta Sherwood Hall.
