Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Massena grades C− overall, 648th among New York's 745 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, the median household income is $51K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. Its lowest everyday mark is in health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 84% of the country. A typical home there costs about $124K, 2 years of the Massena area’s $63K median household income. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Massena, against 9.5% in New York’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 4 of the 265 New York towns we compare have a lower typical home value than Massena. Massena is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 75% of U.S. towns.
Where Massena beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Massena is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 944 in 1820, a peak of 21,346 in 1960, 12,433 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 3 maps from 1906 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Massena, 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 Massena.
Massena is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has household incomes well below the New York norm.
At 2 years of the Massena area’s $63K median household income, the typical home (about $125K) costs less against local pay than in 89% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $3,218, against $6,582 across New York, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Massena is $722 a month. Typical home values rose 5.1% in the year to September 2026. 55% of Massena households own their home.
| Massena | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $722 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 6,287 U.S. towns with household incomes like Massena’s, it is less healthy than 64%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
44% of adults have obesity in Massena. Massena beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 40% of adults have high blood pressure in Massena.
| Massena | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Massena | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 6% |
| More smokers | 17.7% | 11.3% |
| More adults with obesity | 44.1% | 28.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.0 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves.
| Massena | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Massena Springs Park | 0.4 mi | 4 |
| 2. Alcoa Park | — | 12 |
| 3. Wooden Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Massena’s property crime rate is 17.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Massena | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.3 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Massena has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 8° and about 75 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 4,372 in 2013 to 3,429. The average commute for its 3,503 working residents takes 17.9 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
About one in 3 of Massena’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Massena has lost 943 jobs, to 3,429 in 2023. The top destinations are Massena (43%), Potsdam (8%) and Akwesasne (7%).
| Massena | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 2010, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Massena.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Massena; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Massena residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
13 notable people were born in Massena.
Town of Massena, New York
Massena is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. Massena is along the county's northern border, just south of the St. Lawrence River and the Three Nations Crossing of the Canada–United States border. The population was 12,433 at the 2020 census. The town of Massena contains a village also named Massena.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Massena grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #648 of 745 in New York. It grades C− for health, C for safety and B− for schools. Jobs & income 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 B.
Massena was established in 1792. 13 notable people were born here, including Jim Deshaies and Charles E. Belknap.