Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
North Castle is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 34th of 745 graded towns in New York. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates, the median household earns $208K, and its schools rank ahead of 95% of New York towns. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.1 million, 11 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. 75% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in North Castle, where New York’s towns sit at 32% and U.S. towns at 29%. North Castle is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 92% of U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 50 of New York’s 1,216 towns do better.
Where North Castle beats most towns.
| Widest gap | North Castle | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.5% | 17.2% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Coman Hill School | K–2 | 575 |
| Wampus School | 3–5 | 547 |
| Montessori Childrens Room | PK–1 | 150 |
Census counts: 2,478 in 1790, a low of 1,135 in 1820, 12,408 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1867 and 3 maps from 1955 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 North Castle is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Castle. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
Big draw28 mi GardenCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw30 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw29 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a yearUnited States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · Central Park: Ed Yourdon from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Madison Square Garden: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 · MetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0 · Studio 54: Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Metropolitan Museum of Art: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in North Castle, 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 North Castle.
North Castle has schools in the top 5% of New York, draws workers from New York City and beyond and has less food insecurity than most of New York.
29 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. North Castle’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile. Mianus River Gorge Preserve, at 322 acres with 4.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cranberry Lake Preserve | 5.7 mi | 163 |
| 2. Eugene and Agnes Meyer Nature Preserve | 5.2 mi | 263 |
| 3. Mianus River Gorge Preserve | 4.3 mi | 322 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A+ ranks #13 of the 755 New York towns we grade for schools. Its A+ is the best School Grade on its borders; Harrison (A) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Byram Hills Central School District. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Byram Hills High School, with 740 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coman Hill SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–2 | Grades K–2 | 575 | – |
| Byram Hills High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 740 | A |
| Wampus SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 547 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 5.5% of its 6,056 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
21% of adults have obesity in North Castle. North Castle beats the New York average on 25 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 16% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in North Castle.
| North Castle | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.2% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | North Castle | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.5% | 17.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.3% | 12.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
9,752 jobs are based in North Castle, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave North Castle for work: only 8% work in town. The average trip to work in North Castle is 37 minutes. Jobs based in North Castle grew to 9,752 in 2023, 1,407 more than in 2013.
| North Castle | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $208,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 21% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.8% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 85% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 43 flood insurance claims have been paid out in North Castle.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
North Castle has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 21° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
North Castle's reported crime rate is well below New York's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 7 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| North Castle | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 11 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 95% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
86% of North Castle households own their home.
| North Castle | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,268 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 86% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
12 within 15 miles of the center of North Castle
About 4 of every 100 North Castle residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where North Castle’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in North Castle on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
North Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 12,408 at the 2020 census. It has three hamlets: Armonk, Banksville, and North White Plains.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with North Castle.
At #34 in NY, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Pound Ridge (A+) comes closest.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Castle | #34 | A+ | D− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Mount Pleasant | #90 | A | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Harrison · Harrison | #72 | A | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Valhalla | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| White Plains | #324 | B | D− | C+ | B | A |
| Pound Ridge | #45 | A+ | D | A | B+ | A+ |
| Greenburgh | #230 | B+ | D− | B− | B− | A+ |
| Armonk | — | — | — | — | — | — |
North Castle, Mount Pleasant and Harrison report no FBI crime data of their own. Valhalla and Armonk aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Harrison and Harrison are one community, graded once. Compare North Castle with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. North Castle grades A+ overall, better than 96% of U.S. towns and #34 of 745 in New York. It grades A+ for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $1,089,000, 107% above 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 D−.
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