Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town with more to fix than most. The weak point is schools: its public schools trail 84% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. At D overall, Otego is better than 14% of U.S. towns and ranks 661st of 745 in New York. It lags on incomes as well — the median household income is $78K, and 8% of residents live below the poverty line. Hazard risk is weaker too — FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 83% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Cost of living is its strong suit: a typical home costs about $196K, 2.8 years of the Oneonta area’s $69K median household income. Otsdawa Baptist Church is on the National Register of Historic Places. The town has 1 place on the National Register.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · FEMA National Risk Index · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Otego beats most towns.
3,115 counted in 2010 and 2,756 in 2020; an estimated 2,694 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Otego is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,414 in 1820, a low of 1,366 in 1920, 3,115 in 2010. The archive holds 3 maps from 1915 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Otego, 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 Otego.
Otego gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and has commutes shorter than most of New York, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
Two of the 3 schools are below, and why each made the list. Its public schools are run by the Otego-Unadilla Central School District. Public school enrollment in the town: 372 students across 2 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unatego Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 151 | D |
| Unatego Junior-Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 221 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of New York towns, with expected losses of about $592 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
8 flood insurance claims have been paid in Otego since 1993. Expected losses in Otego break down as 79% from inland flooding and 13% from cold waves. Federal aid has come to Otego households in 6 declared disasters; the latest was in 2017.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 1,192 working residents takes 21.8 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
The median commute is under 18 miles. Since 2013, Otego has added 64 jobs, to 444 in 2023. Only a tenth of working residents stay in Otego for work; the rest commute out. The average commute for Otego comes to 22 minutes.
| Otego | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 8.5% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Trails total 8.7 miles in 1 park or preserve. Otego’s density of trails stands at 0.2 miles per square mile, close to New York’s towns (0.4) and below U.S. towns (0.4). One park or preserve covers 18 acres in the town.
| Otego | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Otego Municipal Park | — | 18 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Unadilla 2 N weather station, 10 miles away, records that 79 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Otego’s typical July afternoon high stands at 79°F, below both the New York town median (81°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For adults in Otego, the share who smoke cigarettes is 15%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Otego beats New York on 4 and trails on 8. In Otego, 38% of adults have high blood pressure, and 20% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Otego | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Otego | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.9% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.9% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Otego
About 2 of every 100 Otego residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Otego’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in New York, United States
Otego is a town located in the southwest portion of Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 3,115 at the 2010 census. The Town of Otego is on the southern border of the county and contains a village with the same name, Otego. The town and the village are southwest of Oneonta.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Otego.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otego | #661 | D | B | — | C− | B− |
| Sidney | #697 | D | B− | — | C | C+ |
| Franklin | — | — | B | — | B+ | B |
| Unadilla | #626 | C− | B+ | — | C− | C+ |
| Oneonta | #611 | C− | C+ | — | C− | B+ |
| Butternuts | — | — | B | — | C− | B− |
| Laurens | — | — | B− | — | C− | B |
| Morris | — | — | B+ | — | B− | B |
Franklin, Butternuts, Laurens and Morris have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Otego, Sidney, Franklin, Unadilla, Oneonta, Butternuts, Laurens and Morris report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Otego with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Otego grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #661 of 745 in New York. It grades B− 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.
2 notable people were born here, including Henry M. Youmans and Ausburn Birdsall.
