Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
North Tonawanda is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 427th among New York's 745 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 58% of the country. A typical home there costs about $285K, 4 years of the Buffalo metro’s $72K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 10 places on the National Register. North Tonawanda’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile, where New York’s towns sit at 0.4 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Only 65 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on hazard risk. Its National Register listings include US Post Office-North Tonawanda and Riviera Theatre.
Where North Tonawanda beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,492 in 1880, 30,496 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and 6 maps from 1897 on.
10 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 Tonawanda is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Tonawanda. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi WaterfallNiagara Falls
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaHighmark Stadium
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaRalph Wilson Stadium
11 mi WaterfallHorseshoe Falls
12 mi Stadium & arenaKeyBank Center
12 mi MuseumUSS The SullivansNiagara Falls: Robert F. Tobler, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Highmark Stadium: James161723, CC0 · Ralph Wilson Stadium: User Evilarry on en.wikipedia, Public domain · Horseshoe Falls: Ujjwal Kumar, Public domain · KeyBank Center: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS The Sullivans: Unknown, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in North Tonawanda, 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 Tonawanda.
North Tonawanda is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of New York, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
16 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Gratwick Riverside Park, at 53 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pine Woods Park | 1.5 mi | 31 |
| 2. Gratwick Riverside Park | 0.7 mi | 53 |
| 3. Fishermens Park | 0.5 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the North Tonawanda City School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is North Tonawanda High School, with 961 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Tonawanda Intermediate SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 725 | C |
| North Tonawanda High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 961 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The typical North Tonawanda home is worth about $285,000, up 3.9% in a year, 46% below the New York typical home. North Tonawanda’s median rent is $934 a month, below both the New York town median ($1,103 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| North Tonawanda | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $934 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The average commute for its 12,918 working residents takes 20.4 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave North Tonawanda for work: only 13% work in town. North Tonawanda’s average trip to work is 20 minutes. Since 2013, North Tonawanda has lost 569 jobs, to 6,560 in 2023.
| North Tonawanda | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 15% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of New York towns, with expected losses of about $381 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in North Tonawanda is 77 of 100. Since 1979, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in North Tonawanda.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
North Tonawanda has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 18° and about 72 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 10,192 U.S. towns with household incomes like North Tonawanda’s, it is healthier than 77%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
39% of adults have obesity in North Tonawanda. North Tonawanda beats the New York average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 30% of adults feel lonely in North Tonawanda.
| North Tonawanda | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 81% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 21% | 23% |
| What stands out | North Tonawanda | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.6% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.6% | 17.2% |
| More adults with obesity | 39% | 28.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
11 within 15 miles of the center of North Tonawanda
About 5 of every 100 North Tonawanda residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
4% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
10 places in North Tonawanda on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in North Tonawanda.
City in New York, United States
North Tonawanda is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, North Tonawanda had a population of 30,496. It is part of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The city is named after Tonawanda Creek, its southern border. Tonawanda in the Seneca language means "swift-running water". Tonawanda Creek, which flows into the Niagara River, once had large stretches of rapids (see Rapids, New York) until it was tamed with the construction of the Erie Canal. The city also calls itself the "Lumber City," due to its past primary industry, and it once was the largest port on the Great Lakes during the height of the Erie Canal. Along Goundry Street are mansions built…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with North Tonawanda.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B−; Tonawanda (B−) is closest. Amherst next door grades higher for schools (A− to North Tonawanda’s B−) and lower for cost of living (D to C+).
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Tonawanda | #427 | B− | C+ | B | B− | B |
| Wheatfield | #394 | B− | C− | — | B+ | B |
| Amherst | #270 | B+ | D | C | A− | A |
| Tonawanda | #420 | B− | B− | B− | B− | B |
| Tonawanda Town | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tonawanda | #321 | B | C+ | — | C+ | A− |
| Grand Island | #152 | A− | C− | — | A− | A |
Wheatfield, Tonawanda and Grand Island report no FBI crime data of their own. Tonawanda Town isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare North Tonawanda with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
North Tonawanda grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #427 of 745 in New York. It grades B for health, B for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
18 notable people were born here, including Jim Hurtubise and Robert Mangold.
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