Montour Falls, New York, 1940
Montour Falls’s story
131 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,273 in 1870, 1,635 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 5 maps from 1898 on.
- 1895Montour Falls is settled
Montour FallsNY
Trash day: ThursdayPhoto: Mitchazenia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,498
2025 Census estimate · −9.2% since 2020
Typical home
$209K
+1% in a year
Household income
$51K
median
Median age
43.5
years
Jobs based here
908
A job hub
Is Montour Falls a good place to live?
Montour Falls’ best subject grades are an A+ for the outdoors and an A− for civic life and history; its weakest is a D for incomes. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Montour Falls, above both the New York town median (9.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 76 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on incomes. 36% of the land in Montour Falls is conserved, above both New York’s towns (5.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). On the outdoors, just 22 of New York’s 1,216 towns do better. Catharine Creek Wildlife Management Area, at 363 acres with 2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Montour Falls has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Montour Falls stand out
Where Montour Falls beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Montour Falls9.8
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical NY town4.2
Civic lifeA−
2.3 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical New York town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
0historic places
HistoryA−
Settled in 1895
A long history
A history going back 131 years.
Small town
1,498 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Montour Falls grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Montour Falls is from typical.
Jobs & income$51K median household income; 908 jobs based hereDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.9 of 20; 23.4% of households have no car; 8.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitA−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →SchoolsBehind 62% of New York districts on tests and graduationC+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →HealthLess healthy than 57% of U.S. towns; Schuyler Hospital 0.5 miles awayC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors5 miles of trailsA+Open →History6 notable people born hereA−Open →Civic life6.8 library visits per resident; 9.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 43.5; 19% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 39 attractions →Watkins Glen State Park and 21 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Montour Falls. Close and well known come first.
2 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
21 mi LakeSeneca Lake
25 mi LakeCayuga Lake
17 mi MuseumCorning Museum of Glass400K visitors a year
19 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
20 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf FieldSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Watkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0 · Seneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Corning Museum of Glass: User:Stilfehler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Taughannock Falls State Park: Michael C. Rygel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Schoellkopf Field: Alex Sergeev, (www.asergeev.com) Originally uploaded by en:User:Cornell010, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Montour Falls: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Montour Falls, and how to reach them.
PowerNew York State Elec & Gas22.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMontour Falls Village water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers95% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpThursdayTrash dayTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSchuyler County Board of ElectionsSchuyler County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code1486514865 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Montour Falls.
HousingCost of living grade B+
The typical home in Montour Falls is valued at about $209K
The typical Montour Falls home is worth about $209,000, up 1% in a year, 60% below the New York typical home. The median rent in Montour Falls is $751 a month.
$209KZillow home value
| Montour Falls | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $751 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Montour Falls$209K
New York$525K
+1%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Montour Falls has 1.6 jobs for every working resident, and 861 people commute in
Most working residents leave Montour Falls for work: only 8% work in town. Montour Falls’ average trip to work is 17 minutes. The top destinations are Dix (12%), Horseheads (9%) and Montour (8%).
8%work in town
| Montour Falls | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.6% | 12% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Montour Falls8%
Dix12%
Horseheads9%
Montour8%
Ithaca6%
18 mi
median commute distance
908
jobs based in Montour Falls
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsA+
Conserved land covers nearly a third of Montour Falls
4.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
36.1%conserved
36.1%
conserved · 697 of 1,928 acres
4.5 mi
of trails · 1.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Catharine Creek Wildlife Management Area | 2 mi | 363 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Montour Falls has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Montour Falls has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
42″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–36°
Spring34–58°
Summer57–81°
Fall41–61°
Oct 9
typical first frost
May 9
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
A larger share of adults have high blood pressure in Montour Falls than in most of New York or the rest of the country
41% of adults have high blood pressure in Montour Falls. Montour Falls beats the New York average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 13% of adults have diabetes in Montour Falls.
43%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Montour Falls | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
32 measures vs. New York
2 better20 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Montour Falls | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.7% | 77.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.4% | 6% |
Schuyler Hospital
0.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Montour Falls faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Montour Falls.
57risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
10
paid flood claims since 1984
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Montour Falls
19pages on Montour Falls
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Montour Falls; the nearest are
Arnot Ogden Medical CenterCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Elmira17.1 miSUNY Corning Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Corning19.6 mi$6,534 in-state tuitionState University of New York at CortlandUniversity or college · Public · Cortland37.8 mi$8,874 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Montour Falls residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
A job hub
Every workday, about 861 people come to Montour Falls for work
Where Montour Falls’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
908jobs based in Montour Falls
8%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Montour Falls
6 notable people were born in Montour Falls.
About Montour Falls
Village in New York, United States
Montour Falls is a village located in Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 2,714 at the time of the 2020 census. A waterfall at the end of West Main Street gives the village its name. The name "Montour" is derived from Queen Catharine Montour, a prominent Native American woman of Seneca Indian heritage who lived at the village site in the 18th century. The boundaries defining the Village of Montour Falls occur mostly within the Town of Montour, but a small part lies within the Town of Dix. The village is located approximately twenty miles north of Elmira, New York and three miles south of Watkins Glen, New York. The New York State Academy of Fire Science is located i…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 449 ft
- ZIP code
- 14865
Questions about Montour Falls
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Montour Falls, NY expensive?
Not for the area. That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($67,663 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
What is Montour Falls, NY known for?
6 notable people were born here, including Jeff Plate and Jane Delano.