Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,621.
Otsego grades C+ overall, 446th of 745 graded towns in New York, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 81% of the country and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 77% of U.S. towns. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $353K for a typical one and 5.1 times the Oneonta area’s $69K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 100% of U.S. towns, with 9 places on the National Register. 40% of working residents work locally in Otsego, against 10% in New York’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Only 2 of New York’s 1,216 towns score higher on history. Otsego's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Otsego beats most towns.
Where Otsego’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 Otsego is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,186 in 1820, a peak of 4,917 in 1890, 3,641 in 2020. The archive holds a map from 1943 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Otsego, 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 Otsego.
Otsego is a second-home town and draws workers from Hartwick and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
4,041 jobs are based in Otsego, 2.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 25.7 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Since 2013, Otsego has lost 925 jobs, to 4,041 in 2023. 6.9% of Otsego residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are New York (5%), Oneonta (4%) and Albany (3%).
| Otsego | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Cooperstown Central School District. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Cooperstown Junior/Senior High School, with 387 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooperstown Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 381 | B |
| Cooperstown Junior/Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 387 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Otsego. Otsego beats the New York average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 19% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Otsego.
| Otsego | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Otsego | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.2% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.1% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.9% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Cooperstown weather station records that 86 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 77.8°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 12°.
The July high in Otsego is 78°F. Otsego has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Otsego is 12°F.
| Otsego | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 81°F | 85°F |
| January low | 12°F | 16°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 82% of New York towns, with expected losses of about $685 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Otsego’s FEMA risk score is 61 of 100. Since 1986, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Otsego.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4.9 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Hartwick State Forest, at 539 acres.
| Otsego | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.1% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Upper Research Site | 0.3 mi | 357 |
| 2. Hartwick State Forest | — | 539 |
| 3. Rum Hill | — | 45 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Otsego. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town MuseumNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum315K visitors a year19 mi LandmarkFort Dayton29 mi CaveHowe Caverns
in town MuseumFenimore Art Museum
40 mi National MonumentFort Stanwix National Monument78K visitors a year
28 mi Stadium & arenaUtica Memorial AuditoriumNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fenimore Art Museum: Ser Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Stanwix National Monument: NPS photo, Public domain · Utica Memorial Auditorium: Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0
None within 15 miles of Otsego; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Otsego residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
9 places in Otsego on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Otsego.
Town in New York, United States
Otsego is a town in the north-central part of Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 3,641 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Lake Otsego, which forms part of the town's eastern border. Most of the village of Cooperstown is within the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Otsego.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otsego | #446 | C+ | D | — | B | A− |
| Middlefield | — | — | C+ | — | B− | A− |
| Hartwick | — | — | B+ | — | B | A− |
| Exeter | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Schuyler Lake | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Springfield | — | — | B− | — | C− | B |
| Burlington | — | — | B | — | B+ | B |
| Richfield | — | — | A− | — | B− | C+ |
Middlefield, Hartwick, Springfield, Burlington and Richfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Otsego, Middlefield, Hartwick, Springfield, Burlington and Richfield report no FBI crime data of their own. Exeter and Schuyler Lake aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Otsego with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Otsego grades C+ overall, better than 43% of U.S. towns and #446 of 745 in New York. It grades A− for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $353,000, 33% 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 D.
4 notable people were born here, including George Van Horn and Jane Lippitt Patterson.
