Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lowville’s strongest subject is schools — its schools rank ahead of 71% of New York towns. Add walkability to its strengths: it is more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns. Where it falls short is incomes (C−): the median household income is $69K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $165K, 2.4 years of the county’s $68K median household income. The overall grade lands at B−, 382nd of 745 in New York. That leaves it better than just over half of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Franklin B. Hough House and Bateman Hotel.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Lowville beats most towns.
Franklin B. Hough HouseFranklin B. Hough House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,943 in 1820, 4,888 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1885 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Lowville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lowville, 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 Lowville.
Lowville draws workers from Watson and beyond and gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns.
3,129 jobs are based in Lowville, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 13.8 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Half commute less than 17 miles. The average commute for Lowville comes to 14 minutes, where New York’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. In Lowville, 35% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Watertown (7%), Watertown (4%) and Wilna (3%).
| Lowville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 35% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Lowville Academy & Central School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lowville High School, with 385 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowville Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 628 | B− |
| Lowville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 385 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Since 2014, one flood insurance claim has been paid in Lowville. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage locally than in 70% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Lowville households in 6 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Lowville weather station records that 127 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. The Lowville weather station records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Lowville brings cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 78° and January nights drop to 8°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among adults in Lowville, 81% had a checkup this year, close to New York’s towns (81%) and above U.S. towns (79%). CDC measures, 32 in all: Lowville beats New York on 5 and trails on 11. The share of adults in Lowville who have obesity: 40%.
| Lowville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 81% | 79% |
| What stands out | Lowville | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.2% | 17.2% |
| More adults with obesity | 40.1% | 28.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The biggest park or preserve is Lowville Demonstration Area, at 78 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lowville Demonstration Area | — | 78 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Lowville; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Lowville residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Lowville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
8 places in Lowville on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Lowville.
Town in New York, United States
Lowville is a town in Lewis County, New York, United States. The population was 4,888 at the 2020 census, down from 4,982 in 2010. The town is near the center of the county and is southeast of the city of Watertown. The town of Lowville contains a village also named Lowville, which is the county seat. The town is named after Nicholas Low, an early landowner. Low was of Dutch descent, and had emigrated with his wife and three small children from a rural village outside Amsterdam in 1778. Despite popular folk etymology, the name Lowville has nothing to do with its low elevation or the lowing cattle of the many nearby dairy farms.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Lowville.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowville | #382 | B− | B | — | B+ | B− |
| Watson | — | — | A− | — | B− | B− |
| New Bremen | #545 | C | B+ | — | C | C+ |
| Harrisburg | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Martinsburg | — | — | A− | — | B+ | B− |
| Denmark | #557 | C | C+ | — | B | C+ |
Watson and Martinsburg have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Lowville, Watson, New Bremen, Martinsburg and Denmark report no FBI crime data of their own. Harrisburg isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lowville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lowville grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #382 of 745 in New York. It grades B− for health and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
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 Edward A. Stevenson and Bradley F. Granger.
