Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Norwich grades D overall, ranked 682nd of 745 in New York, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $53K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. Its public schools trail 79% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 84% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. Norwich’s average trip to work is 15 minutes, where New York’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. On hazard risk, just 3 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include US Post Office-Norwich and Chenango County Courthouse District.
Where Norwich beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Chenango County Courthouse District
Census counts: 5,212 in 1890, 7,051 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1870 and 2 maps from 1903 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Norwich is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Norwich, 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 Norwich.
Norwich draws workers from Norwich and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
4,186 jobs are based in Norwich, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 14.9 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
About one in 4 of Norwich’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Norwich has lost 766 jobs, to 4,186 in 2023. The top destinations are Norwich (12%), Syracuse (4%) and New York (3%).
| Norwich | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 10% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Norwich City School District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford J Gibson Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 388 | – |
| Norwich High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 516 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
1.0 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Norwich | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Weiler Park | 0.3 mi | 12 |
| 2. Rotary Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
| 3. West Park | 0.2 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 100% of New York towns, with expected losses of about $912 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 147 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 18 properties have flooded more than once.
The FEMA risk score in Norwich is 88 of 100. Since 1979, 147 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Norwich.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Norwich has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Norwich’s July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 6,890 U.S. towns with household incomes like Norwich’s, it is healthier than 71%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Norwich beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 15% of Norwich adults report frequent physical distress.
| Norwich | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Norwich | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.2% | 6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.4% | 12.8% |
| More smokers | 15.4% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Norwich; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Norwich residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
Where Norwich’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Norwich on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Norwich.
City in New York, United States
Norwich is a city in and the county seat of Chenango County, New York, United States. Surrounded on all sides by the Town of Norwich, the city's name is taken from Norwich, England. As of the 2020 census, Norwich had a population of 7,051. Norwich is best known as the headquarters of the strained yogurt company Chobani.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Norwich grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #682 of 745 in New York. It grades C+ for health and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
14 notable people were born here, including Gail Borden and Jesse D. Bright.
