Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Niagara grades C overall, 577th of 745 graded towns in New York, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, its crime rate is higher than 84% of U.S. towns, with 6 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also does better than most on schools: its schools outperform 69% of the state's. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $57K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $146K, 2 years of the Buffalo metro’s $72K median household income. Niagara’s property crime rate is 38.1 per 1,000 residents, above both the New York town median (7.5) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). Only 64 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on history. The biggest place to walk is Veterans Memorial Park, 70 acres with 1.1 miles of trail.
Where Niagara beats most towns.
Where Niagara’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Niagara is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 484 in 1820, a low of 484 in 1820, 7,903 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1854 and 6 maps from 1897 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Niagara. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi WaterfallNiagara Falls
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaHighmark Stadium
6 mi WaterfallHorseshoe Falls
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaRalph Wilson Stadium
5 mi WaterfallBridal Veil Falls
5 mi WaterfallAmerican FallsNiagara Falls: Robert F. Tobler, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Highmark Stadium: James161723, CC0 · Horseshoe Falls: Ujjwal Kumar, Public domain · Ralph Wilson Stadium: User Evilarry on en.wikipedia, Public domain · Bridal Veil Falls: No machine-readable author provided. Liffer~commonswiki assumed (based on copyri, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Falls: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Niagara, 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 Niagara.
Niagara draws workers from Niagara Falls and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
5,412 jobs are based in Niagara, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 18.6 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Niagara for work: only 10% work in town. Niagara’s average trip to work is 19 minutes. Since 2013, Niagara has added 760 jobs, to 5,412 in 2023.
| Niagara | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 5.7% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
4.8 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Niagara | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Memorial Park | 1.1 mi | 70 |
| 2. Reservoir State Park | 0.7 mi | 34 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Property crime runs at 38.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the New York rate, most of it theft.
Niagara reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 84% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Niagara.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Niagara has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Niagara is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 7,908 U.S. towns with household incomes like Niagara’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
41% of adults have obesity in Niagara. Niagara beats the New York average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 38% of adults have high blood pressure in Niagara.
| Niagara | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 33% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Niagara | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.3% | 7.9% |
| More adults with obesity | 40.8% | 28.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 2 years of the Buffalo metro’s $72K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 89% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6 within 15 miles of the center of Niagara
About 4 of every 100 Niagara residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Town in New York, United States
Niagara is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. At the time of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 7,903. The town is named after the famous waterfall Niagara Falls. The Town of Niagara is in the southwestern portion of Niagara County, borders the City of Niagara Falls (which is next to the famed Niagara Falls). Also located partially within the town is Niagara Falls International Airport, which serves the Niagara County area. It is served by the LaSalle Post Office on Niagara Falls Boulevard (U.S. Route 62) in adjacent Niagara Falls, New York. Residents use a mailing address of "Niagara Falls, NY" because of this. Neither "Niagara, NY," nor "Town of Niagara, N…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Niagara.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara | #577 | C | B− | C− | B+ | C+ |
| Niagara Falls | #710 | D | B+ | D | D | D |
| Lewiston | #147 | A− | C | A− | B+ | B+ |
| Wheatfield | #394 | B− | C− | — | B+ | B |
Wheatfield reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Niagara with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Niagara grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #577 of 745 in New York. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
The typical home is worth about $146,000, 72% 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 B−.
