Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Niskayuna grades A overall, ranked 131st of 745 in New York. It has 23 miles of trail. Residents are healthier than 95% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $137K. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $362K, 4.1 years of the Albany metro’s $88K median household income. 68% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Niskayuna, above both New York’s towns (32%) and U.S. towns (29%). Niskayuna has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Niskayuna Reformed Church and George Westinghouse Jones House. Niskayuna is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns.
Where Niskayuna beats most towns.
Census counts: 516 in 1820, 23,278 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and 5 maps from 1893 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Niskayuna is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Niskayuna. Close and well known come first.
38 mi MountainMount Greylock
12 mi Stadium & arenaMVP Arena
14 mi MuseumUSS Slater
39 mi Theme parkGreat Escape
13 mi Ancient siteFort Orange
20 mi MuseumNational Museum of Racing and Hall of FameMount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 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 · USS Slater: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Great Escape: Jared and Corin, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Fort Orange: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame: Peter Flass, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Niskayuna, 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 Niskayuna.
Niskayuna trades workers with Albany and other neighbors, has less food insecurity than most of New York and has household incomes well above the New York norm.
The trail density in Niskayuna is 1.5 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Lisha Kill Natural Area, 125 acres with 2.3 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mohawk River State Park | 6 mi | 123 |
| 2. Town of Niskayuna Public Open Space | 2.6 mi | 81 |
| 3. H. G. Reist Wildlife Sanctuary | 2.4 mi | 110 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Niskayuna Central School District. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iroquois Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 614 | B |
| Niskayuna High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,379 | A |
| Rosendale SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 376 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 9.1% of its 23,886 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
13% of Niskayuna adults report frequent mental distress. Niskayuna beats the New York average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 11% of Niskayuna adults report frequent physical distress.
| Niskayuna | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 13% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 21% | 23% |
| What stands out | Niskayuna | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.1% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.3% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 44 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Niskayuna.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Niskayuna has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 15° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Niskayuna has about as many jobs (10,474) as working residents, but only 1,238 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 20.7 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Niskayuna for work: only 12% work in town. 21% of workers work from home in Niskayuna. Jobs based in Niskayuna fell to 10,474 in 2023, 1,848 fewer than in 2013.
| Niskayuna | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $137,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 21% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Niskayuna’s property crime rate is 19.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Niskayuna | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 19.7 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
16 within 15 miles of the center of Niskayuna
About 3 of every 100 Niskayuna residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
14.9% of the town is conserved land, across 17 parks and preserves.
4 places in Niskayuna on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Niskayuna.
Town in New York, United States
Niskayuna is a town in Schenectady County, New York, United States. The population was 23,278 at the 2020 census. The town is located in the southeast part of the county, east of the city of Schenectady, and is the easternmost town in the county.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Niskayuna.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niskayuna | #131 | A | C− | C+ | A− | A |
| Schenectady | #729 | D− | C+ | D | D | C |
| Clifton Park | #35 | A+ | C | — | A | A |
| East Glenville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Glenville | #162 | A− | C+ | B | B | A |
| Colonie | #253 | B+ | C | C− | A− | A |
Clifton Park reports no FBI crime data of its own. East Glenville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Niskayuna with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Niskayuna grades A overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #131 of 745 in New York. It grades A for health, C+ for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $362,000, 31% 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−.
14 notable people were born here, including Brian Chesky and Jeff Blatnick.
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