Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Livingston grades D overall, 700th of 745 graded towns in New York, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $54K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. Its schools rank behind 80% of the state's. It also has a long history, with 10 places on the National Register. 11% of residents are under 18 in Livingston, below both the New York town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). Its National Register listings include Henry W. Livingston House and Oak Hill. On civic life, just 99 of New York’s 1,187 towns do better.
Where Livingston beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,938 in 1820, a low of 1,339 in 1920, 3,628 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1798 and 5 maps from 1895 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Livingston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Livingston. Close and well known come first.
6 mi MuseumOlana State Historic Site
26 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
24 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year
14 mi WaterfallKaaterskill Falls
29 mi TheatreTanglewood
26 mi MuseumNorman Rockwell MuseumOlana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Kaaterskill Falls: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Norman Rockwell Museum: User:Rmrfstar, CC BY 2.5
Who provides power, water and the rest in Livingston, 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 Livingston.
Livingston is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
The average commute for its 1,384 working residents takes 20.1 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Livingston for work: only 8% work in town. Livingston’s average trip to work is 20 minutes. Since 2013, Livingston has added 71 jobs, to 629 in 2023.
| Livingston | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.6% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.6% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1.7 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Livingston State Forest, 315 acres with 1 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Livingston State Forest | 1 mi | 315 |
| 2. Livingston Recreation Park | 0.5 mi | 18 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Children under 18 are 11% of residents (21% statewide); people 65 and older are 26% of residents (18% statewide). The median age in Livingston is 45.7 years. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.
| Livingston | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 45.7 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 32% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.2 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Livingston | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.7% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.2% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.5% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.8% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.6% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.6% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.5% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.2% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 8.2% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.9% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.7% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,600, single groups can be off by several points
Livingston has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 17° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Livingston.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 7,134 U.S. towns with household incomes like Livingston’s, it is healthier than 89%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Livingston beats the New York average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 15% of adults binge drink in Livingston.
| Livingston | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 81% | 79% |
| What stands out | Livingston | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.6% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 12.2% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.4% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Livingston
About 4 of every 100 Livingston residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Livingston’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
10 places in Livingston on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Livingston.
Town in Columbia County, New York, US
Livingston is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 3,628 at the 2020 census. The town is named after its founding father. Livingston is in the southwestern part of Columbia County. U.S. Route 9 passes through the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Livingston.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Livingston | #700 | D | C− | — | C− | B |
| Clermont | — | — | C− | — | B+ | A− |
| Germantown | — | — | C− | — | B− | A− |
| Taghkanic | — | — | C− | — | C− | B+ |
| Gallatin | — | — | C+ | — | B− | B+ |
| Greenport | #703 | D | D | — | C− | B− |
| Claverack | #602 | C− | C | — | C− | B |
| Catskill | #629 | C− | C | — | C | B− |
Clermont, Germantown, Taghkanic and Gallatin have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Livingston, Clermont, Germantown, Taghkanic, Gallatin, Greenport, Claverack and Catskill report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Livingston with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Livingston grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #700 of 745 in New York. It grades B for health and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $309,000, 41% 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 C−.
4 notable people were born here, including Henry W. Livingston and John McClellan Holmes.
,_Tanglewood,_Lenox,_Massachusetts.JPG){kind=link}
