Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Onondaga's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades B+, 232nd among New York's 745 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 87% of the country and the median household earns $104K. Onondaga is home to Onondaga Community College. Only 84 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on history. 46% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Onondaga, where New York’s towns sit at 32% and U.S. towns at 29%.
Where Onondaga beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Onondaga is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 5,552 in 1820, 22,937 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1778 and 5 maps from 1895 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Onondaga. Close and well known come first.
6 mi Stadium & arenaJMA Wireless Dome
8 mi LakeOnondaga Lake
32 mi LakeCayuga Lake
6 mi Stadium & arenaOncenter War Memorial Arena
7 mi Stadium & arenaAlliance Bank Stadium
14 mi State parkGreen Lakes State ParkJMA Wireless Dome: Jimhoward03, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Onondaga Lake: R. A. Nonenmacher, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Oncenter War Memorial Arena: Crazyale, Public domain · Alliance Bank Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Green Lakes State Park: Ebedgert at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Onondaga, 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 Onondaga.
Onondaga gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, has less no health insurance than most of New York and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 33 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Onondaga.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Westhill Central School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Westhill High School, with 525 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onondaga Hill Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 575 | C+ |
| Westhill High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 525 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with New York is no health insurance: 4.2% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 7.9% statewide.
9.7% of adults smoke cigarettes in Onondaga. Onondaga beats the New York average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 83% of adults had a checkup this year in Onondaga.
| Onondaga | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 13% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Onondaga | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.2% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.4% | 17.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
19 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Pleasant Valley Preserve, 206 acres with 1.8 miles of trail.
| Onondaga | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pleasant Valley Preserve | 1.8 mi | 206 |
| 2. Edgecliff Park | 1.1 mi | 42 |
| 3. Split Rock Unique Area | 0.6 mi | 32 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 10,284 working residents takes 20.5 minutes, against 32.6 across New York. Jobs based here grew from 3,341 in 2013 to 6,026.
Most working residents leave Onondaga for work: only 7% work in town. 3.5% of Onondaga residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Onondaga grew to 6,026 in 2023, 2,685 more than in 2013.
| Onondaga | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.5% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $104,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.8% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Skaneateles weather station, 11 miles away, records that 106 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Onondaga has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Onondaga’s July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 24% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide). The median age in Onondaga is 45.4 years. Onondaga has lost 2.2% of its people since 2020, down to 22,431 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Onondaga | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 45.4 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 47.5, men 43.5.
| Onondaga | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.1% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.7% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.1% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.5% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.3% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.8% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.7% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 12% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.2% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.7% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.4% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
8 within 15 miles of the center of Onondaga
About 8 of every 100 Onondaga residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
Where Onondaga’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Onondaga on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
The Town of Onondaga ( AHN-ən-DAH-gə) is a municipality in Onondaga County, New York, United States, encompassing 65 square miles. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 22,937. The town is named after the native Onondaga tribe, part of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Onondaga was incorporated April 2, 1798, and is located southwest of the city of Syracuse, which it borders. The villages and hamlets which make up the town are: Cedarvale, Howlett Hill, Navarino, Nedrow, Onondaga Hill, Sentinel Heights, South Onondaga, Southwood, Split Rock, and Taunton.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Onondaga.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onondaga | #232 | B+ | C | — | B− | A |
| Syracuse | #734 | D− | B− | D− | D− | C− |
| Nedrow | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marcellus | #129 | A | C+ | — | A− | A |
| LaFayette | #316 | B | B− | — | C+ | A |
| Camillus | #106 | A | C | B+ | B+ | A |
| Otisco | — | — | C+ | — | B | A− |
Otisco has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Onondaga, Marcellus, LaFayette and Otisco report no FBI crime data of their own. Nedrow isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Onondaga with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Onondaga grades B+ overall, better than 71% of U.S. towns and #232 of 745 in New York. It grades A for health and B− for schools.
The typical home is worth about $246,000, 53% 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.
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