Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,199.
Lyme’s best subject grade is an A+ for history; its weakest is a D for walkability. 36% of residents are 65 or older in Lyme, against 20% in New York’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 89 of New York’s 1,216 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Taft House and Getman Farmhouse. Lyme has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Lyme beats most towns.
George Brothers Building| Widest gap | Lyme | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.1% | 17.2% |
Census counts: 1,724 in 1820, a peak of 5,472 in 1840, 2,185 in 2010. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1864 and 3 maps from 1900 on.
21 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Lyme is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lyme, 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 Lyme.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 93% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lyme.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Lyme Central School District. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Lyme Central School, with 335 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis School - Christian Life Center PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades 4–7 | Grades 4–7 | 4 | – |
| Lyme Central SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 335 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
At 56.8 years, Lyme’s median age is above both the New York town median (43 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). Lyme has lost 4.3% of its people since 2020, down to 2,199 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 19% of residents are under 18 in Lyme.
| Lyme | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 56.8 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
54% women, 46% men
About 85 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2 points). Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Lyme | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.6% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.9% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.8% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.5% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.9% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.5% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.5% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.8% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.4% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.9% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.2% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.7% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,200, single groups can be off by several points
Most working residents leave Lyme for work: only 16% work in town. Lyme’s average trip to work is 28 minutes. The top destinations are Watertown (25%), Watertown (7%) and Clayton (4%).
| Lyme | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
84% of Lyme adults had a checkup this year. Lyme beats the New York average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 4.4% of Lyme adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
| Lyme | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 81% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| What stands out | Lyme | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.1% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.4% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.9% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lyme has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Lyme is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.6 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Ashland Flats Wildlife Management Area, at 1,759 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ashland Flats Wildlife Management Area | 0.9 mi | 1,759 |
| 2. Point Peninsula Wildlife Management Area | — | 1,080 |
| 3. Town of Lyme Recreation Park | 0.1 mi | 29 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lyme
About 3 of every 100 Lyme residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Lyme’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in New York, United States
Lyme is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 2,185 at the 2010 census. The settlements of Chaumont and Three Mile Bay are located within the town. Lyme is in the western part of Jefferson County and is northwest of Watertown.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Lyme.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyme | — | — | B− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Brownville | #416 | B− | B | — | B− | B |
| Cape Vincent | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B |
| Hounsfield | #513 | C | D | — | B | B |
| Clayton | #422 | B− | C | — | B+ | B |
Lyme and Cape Vincent have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Lyme, Brownville, Cape Vincent, Hounsfield and Clayton report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lyme with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.