Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. North Greenbush grades A− overall, ranked 151st of 745 in New York. The median household earns $117K. It is healthier than 85% of U.S. towns and its schools rank ahead of 82% of New York towns. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $340K for a typical one and 3.9 times the Albany metro’s $88K median household income. Only 67 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on history. North Greenbush’s median rent is $1,731 a month, where New York’s towns sit at $1,098 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. North Greenbush's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 84% of U.S. towns.
Where North Greenbush beats most towns.
12,075 counted in 2010 and 13,292 in 2020; an estimated 13,523 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far North Greenbush is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,170 in 1860, a low of 1,293 in 1910, 13,929 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 5 maps from 1893 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Greenbush. Close and well known come first.
26 mi MountainMount Greylock
5 mi Stadium & arenaMVP Arena
5 mi MuseumUSS Slater
5 mi Ancient siteFort Orange
5 mi MuseumSchuyler Mansion
5 mi TheatreThe EggMount 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 · Fort Orange: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Schuyler Mansion: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Egg: Nitant23, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in North Greenbush, 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 Greenbush.
North Greenbush has less no health insurance than most of New York, has seen reported crime fall by a third or more and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
13 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. North Greenbush’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| North Greenbush | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. North Greenbush Town Park | — | 19 |
| 2. HVCC | 0.1 mi | 13 |
| 3. North Greenbush Town Beach | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner-Dickinson SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 306 | B− |
| La Salle Institute PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 532 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with New York is no health insurance: 5.1% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 7.9% statewide. Against the 6,112 U.S. towns with household incomes like North Greenbush’s, it is healthier than 70%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
40% of adults sleep under 7 hours in North Greenbush. North Greenbush beats the New York average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 31% of adults have high blood pressure in North Greenbush.
| North Greenbush | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | North Greenbush | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.1% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.5% | 17.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.8% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 6,411 working residents takes 21.3 minutes, against 32.6 across New York. Jobs based here grew from 2,801 in 2013 to 4,013.
Most working residents leave North Greenbush for work: only 5% work in town. Since 2013, North Greenbush has added 1,212 jobs, to 4,013 in 2023. 5.1% of North Greenbush residents live below the poverty line.
| North Greenbush | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $117,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 16% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.1% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1986, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in North Greenbush.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
North Greenbush has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 53 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (39% statewide). The median age in North Greenbush is 46.3 years. 46% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.
| North Greenbush | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 46.3 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 20% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.9 points). Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| North Greenbush | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.3% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.9% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.4% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.1% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.6% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17.9% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.7% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16.7% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.5% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.2% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Reported crimes fell from 245 to 152 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 11 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
13 within 15 miles of the center of North Greenbush
About 6 of every 100 North Greenbush residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
Where North Greenbush’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in North Greenbush on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
North Greenbush is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. North Greenbush is located in the western part of the county. The population was 13,292 at the 2020 census. The town has three main hamlets, Wynantskill in the northeastern corner, Defreestville in the southern portion of the town, and Snyder's Lake which occupies the majority of the town's eastern end. Each have strong identities and hinder efforts by the town to have a centralized identity. Also hindering a unified town image is that North Greenbush consists of parts of four different school districts, only one of which (a one-room schoolhouse) carries the town's name; two fire departments (Wynantskill and Defreestvi…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with North Greenbush.
Rensselaer next door grades lower for schools (D to North Greenbush’s A−) and higher for cost of living (B− to C−).
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Greenbush | #151 | A− | C− | B− | A− | A |
| Rensselaer | #494 | C+ | B− | B− | D | B |
| East Greenbush | #132 | A | C− | B− | A− | A |
| Poestenkill | #197 | A− | C+ | — | B+ | A |
| Wynantskill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Brunswick | #276 | B+ | C+ | — | B− | B+ |
| Troy | #699 | D | C+ | D | C− | B− |
| Menands | #202 | A− | C | — | C+ | A |
Poestenkill, Brunswick and Menands report no FBI crime data of their own. Wynantskill isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare North Greenbush with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. North Greenbush grades A− overall, better than 82% of U.S. towns and #151 of 745 in New York. It grades A for health, B− for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $340,000, 35% 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−.
.png){kind=link}
