Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Plenty in its favour, and one clear drawback. Where it does best is health (A): CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 94% of the country. New Scotland grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns, and ranks 75th of 745 in New York. It is strong on schools as well (A) — its schools outperform 89% of the state's. Homes run about $348K for a typical one, 4 times the Albany metro’s $88K median household income. What holds it back is walkability (C−). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24.
Where New Scotland beats most towns.
Onesquethaw Valley Historic District| Widest gap | New Scotland | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.7% | 17.2% |
Its founding year, 1660, comes before those of 97% of the New York towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 2,912 in 1840, 9,096 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and 5 maps from 1893 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far New Scotland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around New Scotland. Close and well known come first.
39 mi MountainMount Greylock
10 mi MuseumUSS Slater
10 mi Stadium & arenaMVP Arena
10 mi Ancient siteFort Orange
9 mi MuseumSchuyler Mansion
27 mi MuseumOlana State Historic SiteMount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · USS Slater: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · MVP Arena: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Orange: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Schuyler Mansion: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Olana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in New Scotland, 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 New Scotland.
New Scotland has less food insecurity than most of New York, has better schools than Bethlehem or any other neighbor and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
Trails run 66 miles in 16 parks and preserves. Thacher State Park, at 1,146 acres with 15.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. In New Scotland, the trail network density is 1.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Thacher State Park | 15.4 mi | 1,146 |
| 2. Five Rivers Environmental Education Center | 8.4 mi | 407 |
| 3. Keleher Preserve | 5.7 mi | 439 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
That grade is the best School Grade on its borders; Bethlehem (A−) is next.
The public schools here belong to the Voorheesville Central School District. The largest public high school is Clayton A Bouton High School, with 354 students. Of its 3 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voorheesville Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 541 | B+ |
| Clayton A Bouton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 354 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 7.7% of its 5,674 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
New Scotland: 33% of adults sleep under 7 hours, below both the New York town median (37%) and the median of U.S. towns (36%). In New Scotland, 13% of adults report frequent mental distress. Of 32 CDC measures, New Scotland beats the New York average on 16 and trails it on 3. 18% of adults in New Scotland get no exercise outside work; 9.4% smoke cigarettes.
| New Scotland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 25% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | New Scotland | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.7% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.9% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected losses in New Scotland break down as 70% from inland flooding and 10% from tornadoes. Compared with nearly four fifths of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is lower. Since 1978, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out here.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 4,316 working residents takes 24.4 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
The top destinations are Albany (30%), Colonie (13%) and Bethlehem (8%). Only 7% of working residents stay in New Scotland for work; the rest commute out. For New Scotland, the middle household income is $123,000. Employers in New Scotland added 294 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,714.
| New Scotland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $123,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.9% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among adults 25 and older in New Scotland, 49% hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide). Its midpoint age is 45.1 years, against 42.9 years in New York’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. 9,299 people lived in New Scotland by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, 2.3% more than in 2020.
| New Scotland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 49% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 45.1 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 20% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.2 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| New Scotland | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.7% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.1% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.5% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.5% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.3% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.9% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.5% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 11.3% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.8% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.7% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.7% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
For households in New Scotland, the share who live in a home they own is 84%. On the market here: a median 28 days to sell. 40% of the homes sold in New Scotland went for more than their asking price.
| New Scotland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,127 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
13 within 15 miles of the center of New Scotland
About 6 of every 100 New Scotland residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
Where New Scotland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in New Scotland on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
New Scotland is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 9,096 at the 2020 census. The town is southwest of Albany, New York, the state capital. New Scotland is centrally located in the county.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with New Scotland.
At #75 in NY, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Bethlehem (A) comes closest.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Scotland | #75 | A | C+ | — | A | A |
| Bethlehem | #77 | A | C− | B+ | A− | A+ |
| Guilderland | #166 | A− | C− | B− | A− | A |
| Coeymans | #256 | B+ | B | — | C | A− |
| Berne | #343 | B | B− | — | B | A− |
| Westerlo | #327 | B | B | — | B− | B+ |
New Scotland, Coeymans, Berne and Westerlo report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare New Scotland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. New Scotland grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #75 of 745 in New York. It grades A for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
The typical home is worth about $349,000, 34% 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+.
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