Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Olive grades C+ overall, ranked 475th of 745 in New York, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 83% of U.S. towns and it has 49 miles of trail and 35% conserved land. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $375K, 4.3 years of the Kingston metro’s $86K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. 35% of the land in Olive is conserved, above both New York’s towns (5.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Sundown Wild Forest, 5,650 acres with 10.1 miles of trail. Only 65 of New York’s 1,187 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Olive beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,636 in 1830, a low of 1,196 in 1930, 4,226 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 3 maps from 1901 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Olive is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Olive. Close and well known come first.
20 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
19 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year
20 mi WaterfallKaaterskill Falls16 mi Park & preserveMinnewaska State Park Preserve
29 mi MuseumOlana State Historic Site
15 mi Park & preserveCatskill ParkHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Kaaterskill Falls: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Olana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Catskill Park: The original uploader was Daniel Case at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Olive, 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 Olive.
Olive keeps more of its land conserved than most of New York, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has an unusually large share working from home.
Its 14,480 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 98% of New York towns.
For Olive, the trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile. Trails total 49 miles in 27 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sundown Wild Forest | 10.1 mi | 5,650 |
| 2. Ashokan North Unit | 8.9 mi | 1,436 |
| 3. Sand Hill Unit | 3.7 mi | 394 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The public schools here belong to the Onteora Central School District. The largest public high school is Onteora High School, with 370 students. Two of the 3 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onteora Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 248 | D |
| Onteora High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 370 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Against the 6,600 U.S. towns with household incomes like Olive’s, it is healthier than 67%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
The share of adults in Olive who get no exercise outside work is 22%, below both the New York town median (25%) and the median of U.S. towns (25%). 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in the town. CDC measures, 32 in all: Olive beats New York on 12 and trails on 3.
| Olive | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Olive | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.6% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.8% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.4% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
31.1% of workers work from home, against 14.9% across New York.
For working residents in Olive, the share who work locally is 15%. The top destinations are Kingston (14%), New York (12%) and Woodstock (6%). The town’s mean commuting time comes in at 30 minutes.
| Olive | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $114,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Olive, 13% of residents are under 18. People 65 and older are 27% of residents (18% statewide); children under 18 are 13% of residents (21% statewide). The town’s age of the median resident stands at 49.4 years. 46% of adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 40% across New York.
| Olive | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 13% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 49.4 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 32% | 29% |
44% women, 56% men
About 129 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.9 points). Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Olive | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.8% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.7% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.8% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.2% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 20.1% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.8% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.7% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.1% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.5% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.1% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 31.8% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.7% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,300, single groups can be off by several points
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA puts 70% of Olive’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 8% to tornadoes. Compared with 59% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower. Since 1980, Olive has seen 26 flood insurance claims paid out.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among households in Olive, 89% live in a home they own. The going rate for rent in the town is $2,149 a month.
| Olive | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,149 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 89% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Olive
About 4 of every 100 Olive residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Olive’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Olive on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
Olive is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The town is west of Kingston, New York, and is inside the Catskill Park. The population was 4,226 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Olive.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olive | #475 | C+ | C− | — | B | A− |
| Shandaken | #453 | C+ | C− | A | B | B |
| Woodstock | #278 | B+ | D− | A+ | B | A |
| Marbletown | #512 | C | C− | — | C | A− |
| Hurley | #488 | C+ | C− | — | C | A− |
| Denning | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rochester | #576 | C | C− | — | C | B+ |
| Shokan | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Olive, Marbletown, Hurley and Rochester report no FBI crime data of their own. Denning and Shokan aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Olive with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Olive grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #475 of 745 in New York. It grades A− for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $375,000, 29% 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−.
