Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
North Elba's standout: it has 266 miles of trail and 79% conserved land. Overall it grades C+, 486th of 745 graded towns in New York. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 86% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $432K, 6 years of the county’s $72K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 19 places on the National Register. 51% of working residents work locally in North Elba, where New York’s towns sit at 10% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include John Brown Farm and Gravesite and Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run. Of the 758 New York towns we compare, none has a lower peak summer temperature than North Elba.
Where North Elba beats most towns.
John Brown Farm and Gravesite is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 210 in 1850, 7,480 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1859 and 4 maps from 1902 on.
19 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 Elba is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in North Elba, 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 Elba.
North Elba has colder winter nights than almost anywhere else in New York, draws workers from Harrietstown and beyond and keeps more of its land conserved than most of New York.
Its 79,000 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other New York town. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #17 of 758 in New York.
266 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is High Peaks Wilderness, 41,227 acres with 65.2 miles of trail. The trail network density for North Elba comes to 1.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. High Peaks Wilderness | 65.2 mi | 41,227 |
| 2. Saranac Lakes Wild Forest | 48 mi | 14,982 |
| 3. McKenzie Mountain Wilderness | 20.4 mi | 9,913 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Lake Placid Central School District runs its public schools. The largest public high school is Lake Placid Junior-Senior High School, with 304 students. Two of its 5 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Placid Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 228 | B− |
| Lake Placid Junior-Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 304 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
5,284 jobs are based in North Elba, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 14.5 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Since 2013, North Elba has added 604 jobs, to 5,284 in 2023. Its mean commuting time stands at 15 minutes. The median commute is under 7 miles. 17% of North Elba workers work from home.
| North Elba | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 17% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected losses in North Elba break down as 56% from inland flooding and 22% from avalanches. On expected storm and flood damage, North Elba sits below 72% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to North Elba households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2017.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 10,715 U.S. towns with household incomes like North Elba’s, it is healthier than 82%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Against the New York average, North Elba comes out ahead on 6 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 5. Among adults locally, 34% sleep under 7 hours. In North Elba, 31% of adults feel lonely, and 16% report frequent mental distress.
| North Elba | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 37% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 21% | 23% |
| What stands out | North Elba | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.2% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.1% | 17.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.1% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 3.6°, the #2 lowest of 2,223 New York places with climate records; July afternoons average 71.9°. The Lake Placid 2 S weather station, 7 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 118 days, shorter than in 97% of U.S. towns. The Lake Placid 2 S weather station, 7 miles away, records that 104 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
North Elba brings cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For residents in North Elba, the share who are under 18 is 13%. Children under 18 are 13% of residents (21% statewide). This New York town is growing: up 3.8% since 2020, to 7,768 residents (2025 estimate). Here, 39% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 40% in New York as a whole.
| North Elba | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 13% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.1 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
42% women, 58% men
About 138 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.5 points). Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women. Among residents 35 to 44, 70% are men (NY 50%).
| North Elba | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.5% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.4% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.7% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.3% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.3% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.1% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.2% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.8% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.9% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.4% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.4% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.5% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Elba. Close and well known come first.
9 mi MountainMount Marcy
20 mi State parkAdirondack Park
in town LandmarkJohn Brown Farm State Historic Site
13 mi MountainWhiteface Mountain
9 mi LakeLake Tear of the Clouds
in town Stadium & arenaHerb Brooks ArenaMount Marcy: Daniel Tripp, Public domain · Adirondack Park: Original uploader was Mwanner at en.wikipedia Later version(s) were uploaded by, CC BY-SA 3.0 · John Brown Farm State Historic Site: Mwanner | Talk, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Whiteface Mountain: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Tear of the Clouds: TheKilimanjaro, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Herb Brooks Arena: KevinTR at English Wikipedia, CC0
1 within 15 miles of the center of North Elba
About 4 of every 100 North Elba residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
79.4% of the town is conserved land, across 9 parks and preserves.
19 places in North Elba on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
North Elba is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 7,480 at the 2020 census. North Elba is on the western edge of the county. It is 57 miles (92 km) by road southwest of Plattsburgh, 112 miles (180 km) south-southwest of Montreal, and 138 miles (222 km) north of Albany. While it is only 59 miles (95 km) west-southwest of Burlington, Vermont, one would have to either take a ferry across Lake Champlain, or drive around it. The entirety of the village of Lake Placid is located within the boundaries of North Elba, as is part of the village of Saranac Lake.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with North Elba.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Elba | #486 | C+ | D | — | B− | B+ |
| St. Armand | — | — | B− | — | B | B |
| Harrietstown | #506 | C+ | C+ | — | B | B− |
| Keene | — | — | D | — | A− | A− |
| Saranac Lake | #451 | C+ | C | — | B | B |
| Wilmington | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | A− |
| Newcomb | — | — | — | — | — | — |
St. Armand, Keene and Wilmington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. North Elba, St. Armand, Harrietstown, Keene, Saranac Lake and Wilmington report no FBI crime data of their own. Newcomb isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare North Elba with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
North Elba grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #486 of 745 in New York. It grades B+ for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
