Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Parish’s subject grades are an A− for cost of living and history; the weakest is a C− for walkability. Only 91 of New York’s 1,215 towns score higher on cost of living. Parish’s average trip to work is 32 minutes, above both the New York town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). 12% of the land in Parish is conserved, above both the New York town median (5.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Happy Valley Wildlife Management Area, at 2,441 acres with 5.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Parish has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Parish beats most towns.
Where Parish’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 Parish is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 968 in 1830, a low of 968 in 1830, 2,558 in 2010. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1867 and a map from 1905 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Parish, 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 Parish.
Its public schools are run by the Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Central School District. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Jr./Sr. High School, with 410 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 580 | D |
| Altmar-Parish-Williamstown Jr./Sr. High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 410 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Parish for work: only 11% work in town. 15% of Parish residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Parish has added 336 jobs, to 625 in 2023.
| Parish | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Parish has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Parish is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Parish beats the New York average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 41% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Parish.
| Parish | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Parish | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.4% | 7.9% |
| More smokers | 17.2% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Happy Valley Wildlife Management Area | 5.6 mi | 2,441 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Parish; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Parish residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Town in New York, United States
Parish is a town in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 2,558 at the 2010 census. The Town of Parish was created from the Town of Mexico in 1828. There is a village called Parish in the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Parish.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parish | — | — | A− | — | C− | C+ |
| West Monroe | #525 | C | B | — | C+ | B− |
| Mexico | #624 | C− | B− | — | C | B− |
| Albion | — | — | B+ | — | C− | C |
| Amboy | — | — | B+ | — | C− | C |
| Hastings | #554 | C | B− | — | C+ | B− |
Parish, Albion and Amboy have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Parish, West Monroe, Mexico, Albion, Amboy and Hastings report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Parish with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $135,000, 74% 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 A−.