Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical New York town.
The best of Middlefield’s subject grades are an A− for health, an A+ for civic life, and an A for history; the weakest is a C− for hazard risk. On hazard risk, just 91 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse. 15% of residents are under 18 in Middlefield, below both New York’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (22%). Only 22 of New York’s 1,187 towns score higher on civic life. Middlefield has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Benjamin D. North House and Middlefield Hamlet Historic District. Middlefield has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Middlefield beats most towns.
Middlefield Hamlet Historic District2,114 counted in 2010 and 1,882 in 2020; an estimated 1,870 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Middlefield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,579 in 1820, a peak of 3,323 in 1830, 2,114 in 2010. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1907 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Middlefield, 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 Middlefield.
Middlefield beats the New York average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Middlefield, against 16% in New York’s towns and 17% across U.S. towns. 19% of Middlefield adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Middlefield | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Middlefield | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.5% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.3% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.8% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Middlefield for work: only 5% work in town. Middlefield’s median household income is $118,000. The top destinations are Otsego (32%), New York (7%) and Cherry Valley (3%).
| Middlefield | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $118,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.4% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Middlefield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Middlefield has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Middlefield is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 25% of residents (18% statewide); children under 18 are 15% of residents (21% statewide). 48% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Middlefield.
| Middlefield | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 48% | 32% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.8 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
49% women, 51% men
About 105 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1 point). Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Middlefield | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.3% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.3% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.1% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.6% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.2% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.1% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.5% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.3% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.3% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 9.4% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.3% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 26.6% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,900, single groups can be off by several points
The biggest park or preserve is Roseboom State Forest, at 626 acres.
| Middlefield | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Roseboom State Forest | 0.8 mi | 626 |
| 2. Glimmerglass State Park | 0.1 mi | 34 |
| 3. Compton Bridge Conservation Area | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Middlefield. Close and well known come first.
Big draw3 mi MuseumNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum315K visitors a year24 mi LandmarkFort Dayton23 mi CaveHowe Caverns
4 mi MuseumFenimore Art Museum
34 mi Stadium & arenaUtica Memorial Auditorium
34 mi MuseumMunson-Williams-Proctor Arts InstituteNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fenimore Art Museum: Ser Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Utica Memorial Auditorium: Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Middlefield; the nearest are
About 9 of every 100 Middlefield residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Middlefield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in New York, United States
Middlefield is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 2,114 at the 2010 census. The Town of Middlefield is in the northeastern part of the county. It is the largest town by area in the county.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Middlefield.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlefield | — | — | C+ | — | B− | A− |
| Otsego | #446 | C+ | D | — | B | A− |
| Hartwick | — | — | B+ | — | B | A− |
| Hartwick Seminary | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Milford | #439 | C+ | B+ | — | C− | B+ |
| Roseboom | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Westford | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cherry Valley | — | — | B | — | C− | B− |
Middlefield, Hartwick and Cherry Valley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Middlefield, Otsego, Hartwick, Milford and Cherry Valley report no FBI crime data of their own. Hartwick Seminary, Roseboom and Westford aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Middlefield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
3.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical New York town.
The typical home is worth about $316,000, 40% 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+.
