Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Strong in places, weak in others. Where it falls short is schools (C): its schools rank behind 72% of the state's. It also trails on incomes: the median household income is $59K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A−). A typical home there costs about $165K, 2.2 years of the Syracuse metro’s $75K median household income. The overall grade comes out at C−, 624th of 745 in New York. On that grade it does better than just over a fifth of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 19 places on the National Register.
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · schools, state test and graduation results · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow.
Where Mexico beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,728 in 1820, 5,257 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1838 and 4 maps from 1905 on.
19 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Mexico is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mexico, 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 Mexico.
Mexico gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
The average commute for its 2,074 working residents takes 25.4 minutes, against 32.6 across New York. Jobs based here grew from 1,013 in 2013 to 1,340.
Since 2013, Mexico has added 327 jobs, to 1,340 in 2023. The top destinations are Oswego (10%), Syracuse (9%) and DeWitt (4%). Half of commuters travel less than 22 miles. The share of working residents in Mexico who work locally is 12%, where New York’s towns sit at 10% and U.S. towns at 8%.
| Mexico | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The largest public high school is Mexico High School, with 619 students. Two of the 4 schools are below, and why each made the list. Public schools: the Mexico Central School District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 628 | D |
| Mexico High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 619 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 76% of U.S. communities. 78% of Mexico’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2007.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Fulton weather station, 14 miles away, records that 159 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
July afternoons reach 80° and January nights drop to 14°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The trail density for Mexico comes to 0.1 miles per square mile. Across 2 parks and preserves: 4.5 miles of trail. The biggest park or preserve is Mexico Point Park, at 118 acres.
| Mexico | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mexico Point Park | — | 118 |
| 2. Mexico Community Park | 0.1 mi | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 8,683 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mexico’s, it is healthier than 72%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
In Mexico, 40% of adults sleep under 7 hours. The town beats the New York average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. Also worth knowing: the share of adults in Mexico who get no exercise outside work is 28%, above both New York’s towns (25%) and U.S. towns (25%). Among adults in the town, 16% smoke cigarettes and 18% report frequent mental distress.
| Mexico | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Mexico | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.7% | 17.2% |
| More smokers | 15.8% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mexico. Close and well known come first.
29 mi Stadium & arenaJMA Wireless Dome
25 mi LakeOnondaga Lake
15 mi LandmarkFort Ontario
30 mi State parkGreen Lakes State Park
29 mi Stadium & arenaOncenter War Memorial Arena
26 mi Stadium & arenaAlliance Bank StadiumJMA Wireless Dome: Jimhoward03, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Onondaga Lake: R. A. Nonenmacher, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Ontario: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Green Lakes State Park: Ebedgert at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Oncenter War Memorial Arena: Crazyale, Public domain · Alliance Bank Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
None within 15 miles of Mexico; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Mexico residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Mexico’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
19 places in Mexico on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Mexico.
Town in New York, United States
Mexico is a town in the northeastern section of Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 5,257 at the 2020 census. The town contains a village also named Mexico. Mexico has been referred to as the "Mother of Towns", as the original town as enacted by separate acts of 1792 and 1796 comprised an area that would eventually form six separate counties (Onondaga, Cortland, Oneida, Lewis, Jefferson, and Oswego). These six counties today contain a total of 84 separate towns that were once included in the original Town of Mexico. NY 69 comes to an end in the village of Mexico, where it intersects with NY 104 (Main Street). U.S. Route 11 also passes through the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Mexico.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | #624 | C− | B− | — | C | B− |
| New Haven | #499 | C+ | A− | — | C | B− |
| Richland | #637 | C− | B | — | C | C |
| Parish | — | — | A− | — | C− | C+ |
| Palermo | #615 | C− | B | — | C | C |
| Hastings | #554 | C | B− | — | C+ | B− |
Parish has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Mexico, New Haven, Richland, Parish, Palermo and Hastings report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Mexico with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mexico grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #624 of 745 in New York. It grades B− for health and C 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−.
3 notable people were born here, including Gertrude Simmons Burlingham and George L. Cobb.
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