Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ogdensburg earns a D, 671st among New York's 745 graded towns, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 43 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 95% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $62K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, it is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 9 places on the National Register. 38% of working residents work locally in Ogdensburg, above both the New York town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). On health, just 25 of New York’s 1,213 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include U.S. Customshouse and New York State Armory.
Where Ogdensburg beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
U.S. CustomshouseCensus counts: 7,409 in 1860, a peak of 16,915 in 1930, 10,064 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1749 and 3 maps from 1904 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Ogdensburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ogdensburg, 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 Ogdensburg.
Ogdensburg has homes that are cheap against local pay and has commutes shorter than most of New York, but it has seen reported crime rise by a fifth or more.
At 1.8 years of the Massena area’s $63K median household income, the typical home (about $116K) costs less against local pay than in 94% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $2,644, against $6,582 across New York, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Ogdensburg home is worth about $116,000, up 2.8% in a year, 78% below the New York typical home. Ogdensburg’s median rent is $778 a month.
| Ogdensburg | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $778 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Ogdensburg City School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ogdensburg Free Academy, with 646 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| John F Kennedy SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 431 | C− |
| Ogdensburg Free AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 646 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes rose from 416 to 516 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Property crime runs at 51.7 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the New York rate, most of it theft.
The property crime rate in Ogdensburg is 51.7 per 1,000 residents. Ogdensburg reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less. The violent crime rate in Ogdensburg is 4.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Ogdensburg | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 51.7 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
5.0 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Winter Park | — | 7 |
| 2. Library Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
| 3. Hamilton Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
45% of Ogdensburg adults have obesity. Ogdensburg beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 39% of Ogdensburg adults have high blood pressure.
| Ogdensburg | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 25% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Ogdensburg | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 18.4% | 11.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.7% | 6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.2% | 12.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Ogdensburg has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 9° and about 77 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 3,181 working residents takes 17.3 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
About one in 3 of Ogdensburg’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Ogdensburg has lost 731 jobs, to 3,639 in 2023. 4.8% of workers work from home in Ogdensburg.
| Ogdensburg | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 4.8% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ogdensburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Ogdensburg; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Ogdensburg residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
9 places in Ogdensburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
27 notable people were born in Ogdensburg.
City in New York, United States
Ogdensburg is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 10,064 at the 2020 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and developer Samuel Ogden. The city is at the northern border of New York at the mouth of the Oswegatchie River on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River. The only formally designated city in the county, it is located between Massena, New York, to the east and Brockville, Ontario, to the west. The port of Ogdensburg is the only U.S. port on the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge, northeast of the city, links the United States and Canada, with a d…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Ogdensburg.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ogdensburg | #671 | D | B+ | D | C | C− |
| Lisbon | #457 | C+ | B+ | — | C+ | B− |
| Oswegatchie | #381 | B− | A | — | C+ | C− |
Lisbon and Oswegatchie report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ogdensburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ogdensburg grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #671 of 745 in New York. It grades C− for health, D for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. That is 1.8 years of the area's median household income ($62,850 across the Massena-Ogdensburg, NY area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
27 notable people were born here, including M. Emmet Walsh and Rick Carlisle.
