Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Otisco’s best subject grade is an A− for health. Only 40 of New York’s 1,216 towns score higher on hazard risk. Otisco’s July high is 79°F, against 81°F in New York’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Otisco has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Otisco beats most towns.
Where Otisco’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Otisco is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,726 in 1820, a low of 871 in 1930, 2,368 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 3 maps from 1900 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Otisco. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Stadium & arenaJMA Wireless Dome
37 mi LakeSeneca Lake
27 mi LakeCayuga Lake
16 mi LakeOnondaga Lake
29 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
13 mi Stadium & arenaOncenter War Memorial ArenaJMA Wireless Dome: Jimhoward03, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Seneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Onondaga Lake: R. A. Nonenmacher, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Taughannock Falls State Park: Michael C. Rygel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Oncenter War Memorial Arena: Crazyale, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Otisco, 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 Otisco.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 95% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Otisco.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Otisco beats the New York average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 20% of adults get no exercise outside work in Otisco, below both New York’s towns (25%) and U.S. towns (25%). 83% of Otisco adults had a checkup this year.
| Otisco | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 25% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Otisco | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.8% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.2% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Otisco for work: only 8% work in town. Since 2013, Otisco has added 98 jobs, to 232 in 2023. 5.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Otisco.
| Otisco | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.8% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 9.9% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 13% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (39% statewide). 40% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.
| Otisco | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 32% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.2 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.5 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Otisco | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.4% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.5% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.3% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.2% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.9% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.8% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.7% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.7% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.5% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.6% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.1% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.1% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 22.9% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,400, single groups can be off by several points
Otisco has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Otisco is 14°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Otisco Town Park | — | 12 |
| 2. Otisco Lake Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Otisco Lake Waterway Access | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Otisco’s median rent is $964 a month.
| Otisco | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 88% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $964 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6 within 15 miles of the center of Otisco
About 3 of every 100 Otisco residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
4 notable people were born in Otisco.
Town in New York, United States
Otisco is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 2,368. Otisco is in the southwestern part of the county, situated at the northern edge of the Appalachian Highlands, where an escarpment declines to the Lake Ontario plain and the city of Syracuse five miles to the north.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Otisco.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otisco | — | — | C+ | — | B | A− |
| Spafford | — | — | C− | — | B+ | A− |
| LaFayette | #316 | B | B− | — | C+ | A |
| Tully | #217 | B+ | C | — | B | A− |
| Onondaga | #232 | B+ | C | — | B− | A |
Otisco and Spafford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Otisco, Spafford, LaFayette, Tully and Onondaga report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Otisco with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
The typical home is worth about $264,000, 50% 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+.
4 notable people were born here, including Lewis Gaylord Clark and Roy Walter Riehlman.
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