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Gowanda State Road, North Collins, New York - 20210418
New York›Erie County
Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo of North Collins

North Collins, NY · Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗

Is North Collins a good place to live?

North Collins’s standout strength is incomes (A−): the median household earns $100K. What counts against it is schools: its schools rank behind nearly two thirds of the state's. Walkability is weaker too (C). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 66% of U.S. towns. At about $222K, a typical home costs 3.1 years of the Buffalo metro’s $72K median household income. The overall grade comes out at B, 311th of 745 in New York. It comes out better than three fifths of U.S. towns. Gamel Hexadecagon Barn is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places.

How North Collins grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far North Collins is from typical.

How grading works
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

What makes North Collins stand out

Where North Collins beats most towns.

Gamel Hexadecagon Barn
Gamel Hexadecagon Barn · National Register of Historic Places
North Collins’s story

175 years in pictures

Census counts: 1,948 in 1860, 3,504 in 2020. The archive holds 3 maps from 1905 on.

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • 1851North Collins is settled
Explore the history →
A commuter town

89% of working residents leave North Collins for work

Where North Collins’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

16% → Buffalo Buffalo 16% 11% → Hamburg Hamburg 11% 5% → Amherst Amherst 5% 5% → Cheektowaga Cheektowaga 5% 5% → Orchard Park Orchard Park 5% 4% → Eden Eden 4% North Collins · 11% stay
798jobs based in North Collins
11%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

The data

Ordered by what stands out in North Collins.

North Collins gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it trails Boston and its other neighbors on schools.

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+

Top of a very low hazard risk in North Collins: inland flooding

7risk score of 100

Compared with 93% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in North Collins is lower. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 1981: one. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 72% come from inland flooding and 13% from cold waves. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2009.

FEMA risk score
7Very low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 1981
5
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

SchoolsC+

North Collins’ schools rank behind 65% of New York districts

35%of NY districts it outscoresC+School Grade

Each of its 5 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C+, Boston highest at B+.

Its two schools are below. Public school enrollment in North Collins: 553 students across 2 schools.

SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
North Collins Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6Grades PK–6319D
North Collins Junior-Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12Grades 7–12234B−

NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation

Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−

With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of North Collins’ workers commute out

11%work in town

The average commute for its 1,573 working residents takes 25.1 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.

5% of residents live below the poverty line in North Collins, below both the New York town median (9.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Just 11% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Jobs in North Collins grew by 70 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 798. The top destinations are Buffalo (16%), Hamburg (11%) and Amherst (5%).

North CollinsNew York townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line5%9.5%9.6%
Median household income$100,000$82,000$80,000
Working residents who work in town11%10%8%
Work from home13%12%11%

Where working residents work

In North Collins11%
Buffalo16%
Hamburg11%
Amherst5%
Cheektowaga5%
19 mi
median commute distance
798
jobs based in North Collins
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 34% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

OutdoorsB

Conserved land covers 3.8% of North Collins

#447for trails in NY

The biggest park or preserve is Clear Lake Wildlife Managment Area, at 525 acres. Walkers can cover 8.5 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. In North Collins, the trail network density is 0.2 miles per square mile, against 0.4 in New York’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.

North CollinsNew York townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile0.2 miles per square mile0.40.4
Conserved land3.8%5.2%4.3%
3.8%
conserved · 1,050 of 27,367 acres
8.5 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Franklin Gulf County Park6 mi357
2. Marion Fricano Park1 mi76
3. Clear Lake Wildlife Managment Area0.7 mi525

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Climate

The climate in North Collins brings snowy winters and pleasant summers

208″snow a winter

The Perrysburg weather station, 10 miles away, records that 208 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 100% of U.S. towns.

In North Collins, the peak summer temperature is 80°F.

Typical low → high °F

Winter18–34°
Spring34–55°
Summer56–78°
Fall41–60°
Oct 20
typical first frost
May 3
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HealthB−

North Collins is healthier than 55% of U.S. towns

55%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade

Against the 8,562 U.S. towns with household incomes like North Collins’s, it is less healthy than 68%: its national edge comes with its incomes.

The share of adults in North Collins who binge drink: 18%. Of 32 CDC measures, North Collins beats the New York average on 4 and trails it on 9. Among adults here, 82% had a checkup this year and 30% feel lonely.

North CollinsNew York townsU.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)18%17%16%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)82%81%79%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)30%32%33%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)15%14%14%
32 measures vs. New York
4 better19 too close to call9 worse
What stands outNorth CollinsNY
Fewer uninsured adults5.6%7.9%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity13.5%17.2%
More adults with COPD8.1%6%
Bertrand Chaffee Hospital
11.1 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: primary care
33rd
percentile among NY towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

HousingCost of living grade B

The median home in North Collins sells for about $285K

$285Kmedian sale price

North Collins’ typical rent stands at $907 a month. 79% of North Collins households own their home.

North CollinsNew York townsU.S. towns
Median rent$907 a month$1,103 a month$1,185 a month
Households that own their home79%75%73%
1
homes sold in September

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about North Collins

19pages on North Collins
Nearby attractions

Highmark Stadium and 43 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Collins. Close and well known come first.

All 53 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Highmark Stadium: James161723, CC0 · Niagara Falls: Robert F. Tobler, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ralph Wilson Stadium: User Evilarry on en.wikipedia, Public domain · Eternal Flame Falls: Mpmajewski, CC BY-SA 3.0 · KeyBank Center: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS The Sullivans: Unknown, Public domain

Getting set up

Moving to North Collins: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in North Collins, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →
PowerNational Grid19.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterNorth Collins Village water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have North Collins’ trash rules yet
SchoolsNorth Collins Central School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereErie County Board of ElectionsErie County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2019
ZIP codes14111, 14091, 1405714111 74% · 14091 18% · 14057 8%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.

After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of North Collins

About 4 of every 100 North Collins residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About North Collins

Town in New York, United States

Official town website ↗

North Collins (Seneca: Heyó꞉ähdöh) is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 3,504 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from its parent town, Collins. The town of North Collins is in the southern part of the county and is one of the "Southtowns" of Erie County. The main settlement in the town is the village of North Collins.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
43 sq mi
Elevation
827 ft
Area code
716

North Collins’s neighbors

6 towns share a border with North Collins.

Explore the map →

Eden next door grades higher for schools (B+ to North Collins’s C+) and lower for cost of living (C to B).

How the neighbors grade
TownNY rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
North Collins#311BB—C+B−
Collins#448C+A−—B−C
Brant——B—B−C+
Eden#117ACAB+A−
North Collins——B—C+B
Boston#333BC−—B+A
Concord#301BB−—BB+

Brant and North Collins have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. North Collins, Collins, Brant, North Collins, Boston and Concord report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare North Collins with a neighbor →

Questions about North Collins

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is North Collins, NY a good place to live?

By most measures, yes. North Collins grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #311 of 745 in New York. It grades B− for health and C+ for schools.

Is North Collins, NY expensive?

The typical home is worth about $223,000, 58% 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.

North Collins is in here

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