Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Palmyra gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $152K for a typical one, or 2 years of the Rochester metro’s $76K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 397th of 745 in New York. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its public schools trail 75% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Market Street Historic District and East Main Street Commercial Historic District. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 83% of U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Pal-Mac Aqueduct Park, 43 acres with 1.8 miles of trail.
Where Palmyra beats most towns.
Market Street Historic District
Census counts: 3,724 in 1820, 7,975 in 2010. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1830 and 4 maps from 1899 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 Palmyra is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Palmyra, 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 Palmyra.
Palmyra gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 16 miles of trail. Palmyra’s trail density is 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Palmyra | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pal-Mac Aqueduct Park | 1.8 mi | 43 |
| 2. Swift's Landing Park | 0.4 mi | 29 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Palmyra-Macedon Central School District. Two of its 4 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The largest public high school is Palmyra-Macedon Senior High School, with 513 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmyra-Macedon Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 431 | – |
| Palmyra-Macedon Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 513 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Since 1992, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Palmyra. On expected storm and flood damage, Palmyra sits below 85% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 74% come from inland flooding and 5% from strong winds. Federal aid has come to Palmyra households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2003.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here fell from 2,035 in 2013 to 1,508. The average commute for its 3,360 working residents takes 24.8 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
In Palmyra, the income of the median household is $67,000, below both the New York town median ($82,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). Just 9% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Also worth knowing: this New York town had 1,508 jobs in 2023, down 527 from 2013. The top destinations are Rochester (11%), Arcadia (7%) and Macedon (6%).
| Palmyra | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 7.3% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.1% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Sodus 1w weather station, 12 miles away, records that 105 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
The July high is 81°F, where New York’s towns sit at 81°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 10,223 U.S. towns with household incomes like Palmyra’s, it is healthier than 82%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
33% of adults have high blood pressure in Palmyra. Against the New York average, Palmyra comes out ahead on 6 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 6.
| Palmyra | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 34% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 21% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Palmyra | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.5% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.8% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Palmyra. Close and well known come first.
6 mi MountainCumorah
33 mi LakeSeneca Lake
37 mi LakeCayuga Lake
20 mi MuseumGeorge Eastman Museum
22 mi Stadium & arenaBlue Cross Arena
21 mi MuseumThe National Museum of PlayCumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Seneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · George Eastman Museum: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Blue Cross Arena: Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers), CC BY-SA 3.0 · The National Museum of Play: Misc, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Palmyra
About 3 of every 100 Palmyra residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Palmyra’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Palmyra on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Palmyra.
Town in New York, United States
Palmyra () is a town in southwestern Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 7,975 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the ancient city Palmyra in Syria. The town contains a village also named Palmyra. The town is about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Rochester, New York.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Palmyra.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmyra | #397 | B− | B+ | — | C | B |
| Marion | #177 | A− | B+ | — | B− | B |
| Macedon | #409 | B− | C+ | — | C | A− |
| Arcadia | #591 | C− | B− | — | C− | C |
| Palmyra | #342 | B | B | B | C | B |
| Manchester | #377 | B− | B+ | — | C | B |
Palmyra, Marion, Macedon, Arcadia and Manchester report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Palmyra with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Palmyra grades B− overall, better than 49% of U.S. towns and #397 of 745 in New York. It grades B for health and C for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
10 notable people were born here, including David White and Truman H. Aldrich.
