Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,125, organized in 1789.
Few places in the country grade higher. Lima earns an A+, 4th among New York's 745 graded towns. Its schools rank ahead of 92% of New York towns, residents are healthier than 88% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and natural-hazard risk is low. Its lowest mark, a B−, is in cost of living. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 33 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Hillcrest and North Bloomfield School. Lima is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 91% of U.S. towns. Mark Tubbs Park, at 49 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Lima beats most towns.
Genesee Wesleyan Seminary and Genesee College Hall| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lima Elementary School | K–2 | 298 |
| Lima Christian School | PK–12 | 162 |
Census counts: 1,963 in 1820, a low of 1,764 in 1830, 4,154 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 5 maps from 1901 on.
33 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Lima is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lima. Close and well known come first.
40 mi LakeSeneca Lake
26 mi State parkLetchworth State Park39 mi Theme parkSix Flags Darien Lake1.5M visitors a year
21 mi MountainCumorah
18 mi MuseumGeorge Eastman Museum
18 mi Stadium & arenaBlue Cross ArenaSeneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Letchworth 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lima, 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 Lima.
Lima has schools in the top 5% of New York, has less food insecurity than most of New York and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
Its A ranks #31 of the 755 New York towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lima Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–2 | Grades K–2 | 298 | – |
| Lima Christian School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 162 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
At 2 of 100, Lima’s FEMA risk score is below both New York’s towns (31 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100).
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 9.3% of its 3,821 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
19% of adults binge drink in Lima, against 17% in New York’s towns and 16% across U.S. towns. 20% of adults get no exercise outside work in Lima. Lima beats the New York average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3.
| Lima | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 25% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Lima | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.3% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.5% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 1,876 working residents takes 22.3 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Lima for work: only 8% work in town. Lima’s average trip to work is 22 minutes. The top destinations are Rochester (15%), Mendon (10%) and Henrietta (10%).
| Lima | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $87,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Lima has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Lima is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (39% statewide). 41% of Lima adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Lima | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 32% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 22% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 41.2 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.3 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Lima | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.8% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.2% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.3% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.8% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.1% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.2% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.3% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.1% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.9% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.9% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.7% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,100, single groups can be off by several points
1.9 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Lima | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mark Tubbs Park | 1.5 mi | 49 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
6 within 15 miles of the center of Lima
About 10 of every 100 Lima residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Lima’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
33 places in Lima on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Lima.
Town in New York, United States
Lima (, the name is a shibboleth) is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 4,154 at the 2020 census. The town is in the northeast part of the county, south of Rochester. The village of Lima is located within the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Lima.
At #4 in NY, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Avon (A) comes closest.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lima | #4 | A+ | B− | — | A | A |
| West Bloomfield | #96 | A | B+ | — | B+ | A− |
| Livonia | #245 | B+ | B− | — | B | A− |
| Avon | #65 | A | B− | — | B+ | A− |
| Mendon | #111 | A | C− | — | A | A+ |
| Honeoye Falls | #170 | A− | C− | — | A | A |
Lima, West Bloomfield, Livonia, Avon, Mendon and Honeoye Falls report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lima with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Lima grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #4 of 745 in New York. It grades A for health and A for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
12 notable people were born here, including Kenneth Keating and W. W. Thayer.
